Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training
by Chibi Halo
Summary: The children of the Senshi face off against the greatest threat the universe has ever seen all while trying to keep Diana's family from falling apart.
1. In the Beginning

In the remaining days of the twentieth century a great evil attacked the Earth. To combat this evil Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi revealed themselves to the entire world. But this battle had its consequences and the Earth became covered in a blanket of ice and snow. One thousand years later Sailor Moon awakens the world through the power of her Silver Crystal. A great city of crystal had arisen in Tokyo during the darkness. The world now looked to this city and its rulers Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymoin to protect the world. The time is twenty-three years after wakening and a new group of Sailor Senshi is about to emerge.  
  
********  
  
Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training  
Part One: In the Beginning  
  
********  
  
Serenity sat in the parlor with her hands on her large belly. The baby inside had finally finished a rough kicking session. It was apparent this child wanted out now. As she sat in the large chair by the window a tiny head covered in pink pigtails popped into the doorway. A smile came upon her face when she saw who it was. The tiny child walked up to her and gave Serenity a puppy eyed look of approval. Serenity took the tiny hands of the child and placed them upon her belly allowing the little princess to feel the sibling inside move and kick.  
  
"Feel that little one. That's your baby brother or sister moving around." Serenity explained.  
  
"Baby when you gonna come out and play?" the princess said to the belly.  
  
"Soon my Small Lady soon this baby will come out." Serenity told her.  
  
********  
  
One month after the kicking session Serenity was once again in the delivery room preparing to give birth. Outside in the waiting room Serenity's council and best friends were waiting for the baby to be born. In the arms of the women gathered were eight sleeping three-year-olds. Two nine-year-old girls sat on the floor and played with a deck of cards. The men sat and talked business politics and sports. At the moment they were discussing sumo wrestling. After an hour of waiting a doctor with dark blue hair emerged from the delivery room pulled off her mask and smiled.  
  
"Well Dr. Urwa how's the Queen doing?" one of the men asked her.  
  
"The Queen is doing just fine Dr. Urwa. And I am happy to report that it's a boy." The female Urwa announced.  
  
"Ami, when can we see them?" one of the women asked her.  
  
"As soon as one of the pediatricians looks him over and we move them to the family suite you can go and visit them. I'll let you know the moment we move them." Ami told her friends.  
Ami then looked down at the little girl sleeping in the arms of a younger dark haired woman who was four months into her own pregnancy and smiled. The small child with the same hair as her mother looked peaceful and calm and Ami didn't dare wake up the little girl. Instead she knelt down in front of her and gently kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"How's she been doing Hotaru?" Ami asked her friend.  
  
"She's been a joy to watch Ami. She hasn't been any trouble at all." Hotaru replied.  
  
"How about you how are you doing?" Ami wanted to know.  
  
"Me, I'm doing alright. I'm just thankful I not as pregnant as the Queen was in this heat." She told Ami in a tone that rang of thank the heavens.  
  
"Hey you try being six and seven months pregnant during the heat of July and August and see how you like it." One blonde in the group commented.  
  
"Don't remind me Mina. That was the most uncomfortable time of my life." The oldest in the group replied to her younger friend.  
  
"It was a blessing in disguise that you went through it six years before me. All that advice you gave me sure helped out when I was pregnant with Kari." Mina said.  
  
"At least you didn't have to bundle a tiny newborn child into a snow suit every time you wanted to go somewhere." The other blonde began, "Try having a baby during the sub zero weather of January while your Lamaze coach is as big as blimp herself. Thank the heavens for Setsuna."  
  
Setsuna, who was holding the tiny Moon Princess, smiled at the kind words her friend had given her. In all the years she had known the headstrong Senshi the decision to become pregnant took her by surprise. She always knew Haruka and Michiru would become parents she just figured Michiru would be the one to have the baby. Haruka becoming pregnant was something she had not predicted which was quite unusual for the guardian of time.  
  
The men in the room rolled their eyes when the women began giving Hotaru advice on getting through her pregnancy. Ami smiled and walked over to the love of her life, Greg, who was sitting between Chad and Hotaru's husband Illya and gave him a gentle kiss. She then went back to her duties as royal doctor and walked over to the nurse's station.  
  
While typing a few notes into the hospital file on the latest birth in Crystal Tokyo one of the nurses came over to update Ami on the mother and son.  
  
"Dr. Urwa the head pediatrician Dr. Mizuno has finished examining the Chiba boy." She said.  
  
"So my mother's on duty tonight Yuka." Ami replied not expecting an answer.  
  
"Yes and she wants to see you in the delivery room." Yuka told Ami.  
  
"Is anything wrong?" Ami asked a bit concerned.  
  
"No nothing's wrong. She just wants to see you." Yuka explained.  
  
********  
  
Inside the delivery room the King and Queen beamed over the birth of their newborn son. Ami's mother had finished examining the baby and gave him back to Serenity. To her, the King and Queen were merely Darien and Serena Chiba her daughter's closest friends and the godparents of her grandchild. Dr. Mizuno never saw them as royalty only as a young couple who were now the parents of two beautiful children. She saw past the titles and only saw the person within.  
The door to the delivery room at New Tokyo General opened and revealed the younger member of the Mizuno family. Ami was dictating some last minute notes into the recorder on her palm top.  
  
"Time of birth 12:35 am giving the baby boy the exact same birth date as his father August 3. Much in the same way his mother and his sister share June 30." Ami said before closing her PDA.  
  
"It's your birthday Darien? Well, your wife has given you quite the present a new life to care for. I hope your day is truly a pleasant one." Dr. Mizuno commented.  
  
"Thank you Dr. Mizuno I couldn't imagine a better gift than my new son." Endymoin replied.  
  
"You wanted to see me mother?" Ami asked.  
  
"Yes I was hoping we could talk while we get mother and child to better surroundings." Dr. Mizuno replied to her.  
  
"About what?" Ami wanted to know.  
  
"Whatever you want to talk about. It's been a while since we last had one of our little chats. We've both been so busy lately." Her mother said.  
  
"Greg and Jenna are in the waiting room." Ami told her mother as she began transferring Serenity to the family suite.  
  
"I'll have to stop and say hello to them."  
  
"Greg should be happy to see you but when I saw them last Jenna was sound asleep."  
  
"Hey Ames who else is out there?" Serenity asked her best friend.  
  
"Well besides my family the Kumadas, the Mornes, the Pietres, the Meious, the Ten'ohs, and the Kaious. Basically the entire council and their families and Rini." Ami told Serenity.  
  
"What about my parents or my brother have they come yet?" Serenity wanted to know.  
  
"No not yet but I'll have Rei or Mina give them a call." Ami answered.  
  
********  
  
Ten minutes after Serenity and her baby were settled into the family suite of New Tokyo General the first of her visitors popped their heads through the door. Lita, her husband Jean Paul their eldest child Chloe and their little one Nicole were the first to enter the room. Lita had met Jean Paul while in Paris France working as a chef. Jean Paul's first wife had died a few months after giving birth to his daughter Chloe leaving him to raise the child on his own. Lita had brought the joy and love back into Jean Paul's life and two years after Chloe's birth Lita and Jean Paul were in a serious relationship. By the time Chloe was three they were officially a family and Lita adopted Chloe. When Serenity gave birth to the crown princess three years later Lita showed up with quite the surprise a family and one on the way.  
  
"Oh he's so tiny." Lita commented.  
  
"What's his name?" Chloe asked with a slight French accent.  
  
"May I present to you Prince Endymoin Ian Darien Tsukino Chiba. But you can just call him Ian." Serenity told her visitors.  
  
"Gee Serena can't you just give your children shorter names." Lita said with a chuckle.  
  
"I happen to think it is a dignified name me amore." Jean Paul added.  
  
The tiny bundle that was in Lita's arms chose that moment to wake up and add her own two cents to the conversation.  
  
"Look at the baby mommy! Happy birthday little baby." Nicole said.  
  
Everyone in the room laughed when they heard this.  
  
********  
  
Three years had come and gone since the birth of the prince. The Earth had survived the attack by the Black Moon Family and their associate the Wiseman. The nightmares Rini had as a result of her brief time as Black Lady had ended and Serenity mad certain they would never return by using the crystal to eliminate those memories. All Rini remembered was that she used one of Pluto's time keys to go back to the past to search for the one that could use the crystal to save her mother. And in the end she found out that she had the crystal with her all the time. Now that unpleasant experience was behind them and the royal family could concentrate on the upcoming events.  
  
The palace was all abuzz in preparation for the last day of the month. It was a day when much celebrating would take place in the palace. It was a day when the Queen and the Princess would both become another year older. On this day Rini would turn six and Serena would be thirty-five. No one commented on the oddity of the queen and the princess sharing the same birthday for all of the council and their first-born children shared the same birthday. Even the king and the prince shared a birthday. The only one who did not share a birthday with someone was Lita's adopted daughter Chloe.  
  
As the day of the celebration drew near Endymoin was busily making certain that both parties went off without a hitch. For Rini's party all the children of the council and the palace workers would be invited to attend. Then latter on in the day a grand ball was planned for Neo-Queen Serenity's birthday celebration. The entire day would be one enormous party. This was something the city looked forward to all year. It was considered to be one of the three most important dates in the city's history. The day the queen was born, the day the king was born, and the day the city was officially established were important days for Crystal Tokyo. On the day of inception everyone in the city had the day off. It was like a second Christmas for everyone with parades and parties.  
  
********  
  
"Jean Paul we need to talk." Lita said.  
  
Lita had returned to the three-bedroom flat after getting the day's mail. Sitting next to her husband Jean Paul Lita had a look of concern on her face. In her hand she held three separate pieces of mail from the Crystal Palace in Crystal Tokyo. One was a large elegant envelope engraved in gold foil, the next was a smaller plain white envelope with the writing of a child on it, and the last looked like it came from Serenity's private stationary. Upon opening the first one Lita saw it was an invitation to Serenity's birthday ball. The second envelope she would give to Chloe and Nicole to open since it had their names upon it. But it was the third one that had Lita concerned for when she opened the letter addressed to her alone she saw that her lifelong friend Serena and not Queen Serenity was asking her to return to Tokyo. The attack from the Black Moon had her fearing for the lives of her children. She wanted her council closer to the palace, which meant moving the family from France to Japan.  
  
"Lita is something wrong?" Jean Paul asked noting the look of concern on her face.  
  
"Serena wants me to move back to Tokyo." Lita told him.  
  
"Any particular reason?"  
  
"She wants her council closer to the palace. That last attack on the royal family has her a bit scared. She's afraid something might happen to one of her children again."  
  
"That is a valid reason after all you are one of her protectors are you not."  
  
"Yes but it means moving the girls to Tokyo and giving up the restaurant."  
  
"Don't worry about the restaurant my brother Pierre can run it. He a whiz on the business side of things you know. He'll just have to find someone else to run the kitchen. Maybe Francios can take over the kitchen he is quite the chef. This way Morne's can stay in the family."  
  
"But it's always been my dream to own my own restaurant."  
  
"We can still do that. We'll just have to start from scratch like my father did. We can bring a bit of France to Tokyo just like you brought a bit of Tokyo to France."  
  
Jean Paul's last comment brought a smile to Lita's face and made her feel better about everything.  
  
"Now what are we going to do about the girls?" Lita wondered.  
  
"We find them a good school and they should begin to develop friends on their own. Besides doesn't one of your friends have a daughter Chloe's age? I'm sure that if they meet again they will become fast friends. So do not worry my beautiful rose."  
  
"Thanks you've just made my decision a bit easier to make."  
  
Ten minutes after Lita and Jean Paul had finished their conversation the Morne family gathered for a family meeting. Chloe and Nicole could tell that the subject of this meeting was a serious one and it would affect the family for years to come. Lita cleared her throat and began the meeting.  
  
"Your father and I called this meeting because we have a serious matter to discuss with you." Lita began, "Today I received a letter from Queen Serenity asking that I move back to Tokyo. She has declared that her council be near the palace. What happened the last time I went to Tokyo for a council meeting has the queen scared. This would mean moving the entire family."  
  
"But what will happen to the restaurant?" Chloe wanted to know.  
  
"I'll talk to your uncle about taking it over and when we get to Tokyo we can start a new one." Jean Paul told his daughters.  
  
"I won't have any friends when we get there." Nicole said.  
  
"There will be eight kids your age you'll be able to meet when we get to Tokyo and one Chloe's age. Besides I'm certain you and Chloe will have no trouble at all making friends once you start school." Lita explained to the young Princess of Jupiter.  
  
"My pen pal lives in Tokyo maybe I can meet her again. I met her once when I was nine when we visited the queen after she had Ian. She was in the hospital waiting area with her mother who was watching her friend's oldest child while she had another baby. We exchanged addresses and have been writing ever since." Chloe said with some excitement.  
  
********  
  
Lita was not the only one to receive a letter asking that she return to Tokyo. Hotaru had gotten her own handwritten letter on the private stationary of Serena Tsukino Chiba delivered to her as well. She had also received two birthday invitations as well one for her and Illya and one for Annya. Leaving the small village the family called home for the past year would be hard for them to do but they knew it was for the best. Illya had spent the last year taking photographs of the wildlife that inhabited the largest game preserve in all of Africa. Hotaru hooked up with a group of doctors who brought medical care to places that didn't have a hospital and helped establish a clinic. It was satisfying work for the both of them and they loved every minute of it.  
  
Hotaru had only one issue with returning to Tokyo. She didn't know what she would do for a living once she returned. Hotaru knew full well that she couldn't be a doctor in the palace because Ami was the royal doctor. The youngest member of Serenity's council wasn't looking forward to going home. And as the pair packed their things for the long trip to Tokyo Hotaru made her feelings known.  
  
"Illya do you remember how we met?" Hotaru asked him.  
  
"Of course I do. It was back when you were in your third year of medical school. I was in Tokyo taking pictures of baseball, sumo wrestling, and the Nikkei. Being the wonderful nutty kind of guy that I am I busted my ankle when I fell off my bike. Requiring medical attention I was taken to the ER at New Tokyo General. You never performed any procedures on me but you did observe a lot. And when the doctor left to check on another patient you stayed with me. We talked for some time and I asked you out then and there. By the time you finished medical school we were married and had a child on the way. Why do you ask?" Illya replied.  
  
"Sometimes I need to be reminded why I do certain things. And right now I need to be reminded why I agreed to go back to Tokyo. There's nothing there for me except bad memories of my father's accident and a past I'd rather forget then relive."  
  
"You have your friends back there and your foster family. They are what is important along with your promise to the king and queen."  
  
"But where will I work? I can't work in the palace like Ami and Greg. She's the royal doctor and he's the head engineer. They don't need me there."  
  
"Maybe you could get a position at New Tokyo General. They could use you there."  
  
"I hadn't thought about the hospital. Maybe my returning to Tokyo won't be so bad after all. But what are you going to do for living there?"  
  
"Me I'll see if I can secure a position at the newspaper. I certainly have an impressive portfolio."  
  
********  
  
"I won't do it and you can't make me!" the little pink haired girl said as she ran down the hallway of the palace.  
  
Fortunately for her pursuer she was wearing her tights and a white slip. The twelve-year-old girl with dark green hair ran after the little princess with the dress that she was to wear in her hands. The moment she tried to get the princess to wear it the little rabbit haired girl took off and the chase was on.  
  
"Mom we've got a major problem here. The rabbit won't put her dress on." The older girl said into a wrist communicator with the sign of Pluto on it.  
  
"The best way to get her to get dressed is not to force her to do it. Make her think you don't believe she can do something and she'll do it of her own free will. I know exactly what you're going through Kerri. I had to do the same for the queen's mother when I was your age." Her mother explained.  
  
"Thanks mom." Kerri replied.  
  
Forcing her target into a dead end hallway Kerri gained the upper hand and turned the situation around to her advantage.  
  
"Hey Rini someone told me you can dress yourself now but I said you still need your nanny to dress you. I still don't believe what they said was true you can't dress yourself." Kerri challenged her.  
  
Rini walked up to the younger Pluto and snatched the dress from her hands.  
  
"Oh yeah I'll show you." Rini shot back before putting on the pink and white dress.  
  
Kerri helped Rini finish getting dressed by buttoning her dress and tying her bow. The pair then went to see the queen and head off to the first party.  
  
********  
  
Time marches on and once again the entire city was preparing for another birthday bash. The queen was turning forty-four but didn't look a day over twenty. The crystal saw to that. The princess was turning sixteen and this year the main focus of the evening ball would be on her. This was also the night the princess' court would be announced to the world.  
  
"Well Princess Serena Lady Serenity Usagi Tsukino Chiba you've come a long way since you first went back in time." Rini said to her reflection as she messed around with her hair before putting it back into its trademark rabbit ears.  
  
Rini sat at the white antique vanity painted with pink roses and sighed. She wasn't looking forward to another afternoon kiddie party with goofy hats and favor bags. As she sat there sulking a knock at the door brought her attention back to the topic of the day.  
  
"The door's open." She called out.  
  
The door opened to reveal Serenity and Endymoin. In Serenity's arms was a large white box with a big pink ribbon around it. The sight of the box sparked Rini's curiosity.  
  
"Serena your father and I wanted to give you our present before the others arrive." Serenity said.  
  
Rini beamed with joy when she heard she was getting a present early. Upon opening the box Rini began to cry. Inside the box was a beautiful pink strapless gown. Rini ran behind the Chinese screen in her room and threw the gown on. Much to the delight of her mother and father Rini looked exquisite. Serenity then gave her daughter the biggest surprise of the morning.  
  
"I want you to wear that to your ball tonight." Serenity said with a smile.  
  
"My ball mother? But what about your own party?" Rini asked a bit confused.  
  
"Your father and I have an informal luncheon planned with our friends. Tonight is all about you. It isn't everyday your daughter turns sixteen. Besides once you reach my age you don't really like to make a big deal out of every birthday." Serenity explained.  
  
********  
  
The royal family stood in the reception room dressed in their finest as they greeted their guests. Serenity was wearing her trademark white gown, Endymoin had on the white version of his famous tuxedo he always wore, Rini had on the gown she had received earlier in the day, and Ian wore a scaled down version of the original Tuxedo Mask tuxedo. The young prince struggled to keep from tugging at his collar. One by one the guests were introduced to the royal family.  
  
"The Lady Mercury Dr. Ami Urwa, her husband Dr. Gregory Urwa, and their daughter Princess Jenna Urwa of Mercury." The Valet announced.  
  
"Ami it's good to see you outside of the infirmary." Serenity said.  
  
"It's good to see you too. Happy birthday Serena and to you too Rini." Ami replied.  
  
"Jenna has certainly become quite the young lady. She reminds me of her mother at that age." Serenity commented to Greg and Ami.  
  
After Ami and Greg exchanged hugs and handshakes with the royal family it was Jenna's turn to meet the royal family.  
  
"It is a pleasure to see you once again Queen Serenity King Endymoin Prince Ian." She began, "Princess Serena I look forward to this evening's festivities and wish you and your mother the best of birthdays and many more."  
  
"Thank you Jenna but you know you can call me Rini if you wish." Rini replied.  
  
The girls exchanged pleasant hugs and commented on their dresses before the Urwa's left and the next set of guests were announced by the Valet.  
  
"The Lady Mars Rei Kumada, her husband Chad Kumada, and their children Princess Danielle Kumada and Prince Eric Kumada of Mars."  
  
"Rei Chad it's so good to see you again. How are things at the temple?" Serenity said as she gave them both a hug.  
  
"They're going very well. I've been teaching Danni and Eric fire reading techniques and they learn quite fast." Rei told the queen.  
  
"Princess Serena I'd like to wish you and your mother the most happiest of birthdays." Danni said.  
  
"May your day be a good one and we look forward to the party this evening." Eric added.  
  
"Thanks but you don't have to be so formal with me. Rini will do just fine." Rini told them.  
  
The Chibas and the Kumadas exchanged pleasantries before allowing the next group of visitors a chance to see the royal family.  
  
"The Lady Jupiter Lita Morne, her husband Jean Paul Morne, and their daughters Lady Chloe Morne and Princess Nicole Morne of Jupiter." The Valet announced.  
  
Everyone knew Chloe's title was honorary but they treated her with the same respect and dignity her sister Nicole received.  
  
"Lita Jean Paul it's good to see you and the girls again. How are things at the Rose Café?" Serenity said to her friends.  
  
"Things couldn't be better. Chloe is working as a garcon after classes and on the weekend and Nicole is helping out on the weekends as well." Lita replied.  
  
********  
  
The Great Hall in the palace was packed with dignitaries, family, and friends. People from all corners of the globe were in attendance for the princess's birthday ball. The queen's council and their families stood near the front of the room waiting for the ball to officially begin. Among them were Luna, Artimes, and their daughter Diana all in human form. Luna did not look too happy at the moment and kept looking back and forth between the main entrance of the hall and Artimes.  
  
The king emerged from the doorway that led to the grand staircase of the hall and the crowd became silent. Endymoin was dressed in his white tuxedo and tails with cape. The king had forgone wearing his mask opting to allow the guests assembled to see his face. Upon reaching the massive landing Endymoin stopped and addressed the crowd.  
  
"I'd like to thank all of you for coming to this year's birthday ball. This year the focus of the ball will be on the younger generation. This is the princess's first birthday ball and it commemorates her sixteenth birthday. And now ladies and gentleman I give you Queen Serenity and her escort Prince Ian." Endymoin said with a smile on his face.  
  
Serenity was dressed in her traditional white gown with a large white gauze bow in the back that looked like a pair of butterfly wings. Ian was wearing a smaller version of the traditional Tuxedo Mask outfit without the mask. Ian tried hard not to tug on the collar or fidget while his parents went through their usual formalities. Once mother and son reached the king it was Serenity's turn to speak.  
  
"Thank you for helping to make another birthday a wonderful one. As you now know this year's birthday ball commemorates the princess's sixteenth birthday. So without further ado I would like to introduce to you Princess Serenity Lady Serena Tsukino Chiba."  
Rini made her way to the landing and took her place by her parents and her brother. Once again Serenity resumed her presentation.  
  
"For her birthday I would like to present to the princess her court." Serenity began.  
The members of Serenity's council knew this day would come. The girls wouldn't be receiving their henshin rods on this night but it would be made official. Serenity even had something planned for Rei's son Eric and Lita's adopted daughter Chloe.  
  
"Princess Serena may I present to you Princess Jenna Urwa of Mercury." Serenity continued.  
  
Jenna, who was wearing a blue dress much like the one her mother used to wear, stepped forward.  
  
"Representing the house of Mars Princess Danielle and Prince Eric Kumada."  
  
Eric, who was wearing a black tux with a red vest, took Danni by the arm and led her to the bottom of the stairs. Danni was wearing a long straight red sleeveless gown.  
  
"From the house of Jupiter the Princess Nicole Morne."  
  
Nicole with her green eyes, chestnut hair, and long green gown made her way to the princess.  
  
"Representing the house of Venus Princess Kari Togashi."  
  
Kari who had on the latest style gown made in orange joined the other members of the court.  
  
"From Pluto Princess Kerri Meiou."  
  
Like her mother Kerri wore a black gown and had her hair in a bun made her way to the stairs.  
  
"Representing the house of Uranus Princess Alexandra Ten'oh."  
  
Alex who was in a simple yellow dress towered above the other members of the court.  
  
"From the house of Neptune Princess Michelle Kaiou."  
  
Michelle with her matching sea green eyes and hair and deep aqua gown walked to the others.  
  
"From Saturn Princess Annya Pietre."  
  
The smallest member of the court had on a simple midnight blue dress and stood in front.  
  
"These are the members of Serena's court. Now I would like to introduce to you Princess Serena's advisor and guardian Diana. And I would also like to introduce you to the Earth ambassador to the princess's court Chloe Morne."  
  
Diana and Chloe headed towards the court. Diana had long hair like her mother which sported two heart shaped buns at the top. Her hair eyes and gown were silvery gray in color and a tail could be seen on the back of the dress. Chloe with her brown eyes and light brown hair had on a violet colored gown with pink roses at the bottom. Once the pair reached the others it was now Rini's turn to speak.  
  
"First of all I'd like to thank my family for making all this possible. I'd like to thank all of you for coming to my birthday ball. I hope you all have the best evening possible. And now let the festivities begin." Rini said to the guests gathered in the hall.  
  
********  
  
The party was going smoothly, Eric and the girls were standing near the grand staircase conversing about this and that getting to know each other better. People were milling about laughing and talking to each other having a wonderful time. The cocktail hour was almost up and soon the real festivities would begin. As the new group of friends continued their conversation Diana took a quick glance towards the main entrance of the hall and saw a late arrival to the party.  
  
"Psst Rini look towards the main doorway. Diana whispered getting her best friend's attention.  
  
"Gee he sure is late. Your mom's not going to be too happy about this." Rini whispered back.  
  
The rest of the group looked in the direction Rini and Diana were looking and noticed an individual heading in their general direction. The white retro styled tuxedo with its short jacket banded collar and no tie greatly contrasted his shoulder length black hair and dark eyes. Tied around his waist was what appeared to be a fuzzy black belt, which in reality was really a cat's tail. The moment he reached the group the young man began pouring on the fake playboy attitude.  
  
"Well, well, well and what do we have here? A group of beautiful ladies." He said.  
  
"You can cut the Mr. Romance act now." Diana said a bit annoyed, "Mother is looking for you and she is none too pleased. I would strongly suggest that you go and see her right now. And when you do that thing had better be unwrapped from around your waist and between your legs." She said pointing to the back tail that was now hanging freely.  
  
As the young feline walked away from the group Diana rolled her eyes and then looked at her friends apologetically.  
  
"I'm sorry for the outburst there." She apologized.  
  
"That's alright Diana. There's no need to apologize. You did what needed to be done," said Rini who fully understood the situation.  
  
"Who was that guy?" Alex asked Diana and Rini.  
  
"That was Diana's younger brother Apollo. Right now things are a bit tense between him and their parents. He's having some problems and Luna isn't too happy with him." Rini explained.  
"I'm sorry to hear about that." Jenna said sympathetically.  
  
"It's alright, I know mother's mad at him because she loves him and she'd rather see him do better things with his life. I worry that one of these days the group of friends he hangs out with are going to get him in a lot of trouble and not just with mother." Diana replied.  
  
The girls watched Apollo walk up to Luna and Artimes. When he reached them the sour faced Luna engaged him with out making a scene. Diana knew right away what was going on because the sorrow her brother was showing had turned from forced to genuine. His tail had gone limp and his head hung low showing that he was in trouble big time. A few minutes later a very long faced Apollo headed back towards his sister and her friends.  
  
********  
  
Luna stood there feeling drained. She had just spent a solid five minutes giving her only son what for. She had good reason to do so too. Luna feared for the life of her son. Ever since Diana went back to train with Rini in the past Apollo had been acting out. In the past year the youngest member of the feline family began spending his time with a group of alley cats that were very questionable. It wasn't just rummaging for scraps in garbage cans and begging for food at restaurants these cats stole meat, fish, and poultry from the open-air markets. They were also seen messing around with female house cats performing the feline version of gang rape. Animal control had orders from the mayor to capture the cats and have them destroyed but they had yet to catch a single one of them.  
  
Artimes had his arms around Luna's waist and held her close to him. The slightly older male loved Luna with all his heart and this situation with their son had him worried about her.  
  
"You did the right thing you know." He told her reassuringly.  
  
"Did I? Is all this yelling going to solve things?" she asked him.  
  
"I don't know if it will solve things but he did need to hear what you had to say." Artimes replied.  
  
The conversation the two felines were having was interrupted when Serenity came over to lend her support to Luna.  
  
"Luna Artimes is everything alright?" she wanted to know.  
  
"It's the boy again." Artimes said hoping the queen would know what he meant.  
  
"Having problems again is he? I think I know how you can help him." Serenity replied.  
  
"How Serena? How are we going to help him stay away from those awful, awful strays?" Luna wanted to know.  
  
"You need to spend some time with him. Take an interest in some of the things he likes. Show him you care instead of yelling at him. Darien and I try and spend some time each and every day with both of our children. We never favor one over the other. You have to let him know that he still holds a place in your heart. He may think its odd but hug him at least once a day and keep reminding him you love him. Darien may not hug Ian like he used to but he finds other ways to let his son know how much he cares about him and you should too." Serenity told them.  
  
"If you say so because right now we're willing to give anything a try at this point." Artimes added.  
  
It was at that point that the music began playing signaling the end of the cocktail hour and the beginning of the dancing. The first song was a slow one to get things started. The conversation between the three close friends was quickly forgotten when Endymoin came over and grabbed Serenity by the hand to whisk her onto the dance floor. Artimes saw what had happened and decided to do the same.  
  
"Care to dance my love?" Artimes inquired.  
  
"I'd love to." Luna answered before being led onto the dance floor.  
  
********  
  
Rini and her friends watched as their parents, the other adults, and some of the younger couples began dancing. Rini got a smile on her face when she saw Luna and Artimes out on the dance floor. She could tell they were trying to have a good time. Diana's face loosened as well when she caught a glimpse of her parents having a good time. It was at that moment Ian decided to ask Annya to dance with him.  
  
"Hey Annya you uh wanna dance?" he asked nervously.  
  
"Sure why not." The youngest senshi answered with a smile.  
  
Ian and Annya made their way to the dance floor and joined the others. Eric and Apollo decided they weren't going to let the young prince have all the fun.  
  
"Hey Kari my dance card is wide open and I was wondering if you'd like to trip the light fantastic with me?" Eric asked his new friend.  
  
"I'm game if you are." She said pulling him onto the dance floor.  
  
"Uh hi, I'm Apollo, Diana's brother, and I'd be more than happy to dance with you if you want to." Apollo said nervously to Jenna. It was hard for him to use words instead of body language.  
  
"Nice to meet you Apollo. And yes I'll dance with you." Jenna replied flashing the patented Mizuno family smile she and her mother had.  
  
Diana smiled as Jenna and Apollo joined the others on the dance floor. It was good to see her brother interacting with decent individuals for a change and Jenna was as decent as they come. Diana knew they would never be involved romantically but she hoped Jenna's friendship would be good for her brother.  
  
"Don't worry Diana things will get better between your parents and Apollo." Rini said to her.  
"I sure hope so Rini I sure hope so." Diana replied.  
  
********  
  
The dancing continued for a while with the girls dancing with each of the boys and their fathers at least once. The band played all kinds of music ranging from big band and swing to 80's pop and the latest techno dance. The band decided to play one last song before taking a break. Serenity had requested a Beatles song that was quite appropriate for the day. When the song was over the lights went low and a large cake covered with pink roses and sixteen pink candles was wheeled into the ballroom. Rini smiled closed her eyes and made her wish before blowing out the candles. When the lights were turned back on Rini got the surprise of a lifetime. Standing on the other side of the cake was Helios.  
  
"Wow, birthday wishes do come true." Rini commented with a smile.  
  
"Happy birthday my Maiden. May all your dreams and wishes come true." Helios said as he gently took Rini's hand and kissed it.  
  
From the time they had first met Helios knew there was something special about Rini. It was the reason why he had given her his Crystal Carillon to watch over and use whenever she or any of the Sailor Senshi needed his assistance. Helios always held a special place in his heart for the young woman he called Maiden. And over the years as he watched over her from the Elysian Fields his feelings for her turned to ones of love. He only wished she felt the same way.  
Rini's new friends came over to meet the mysterious man who displayed tender and loving affections towards their princess. They were curious about this newcomer and wanted to know more about him. Kari who was every bit like her mother spoke up first.  
  
"Okay spill it Rini and spear nothing. Who is this handsome looking individual here?" she asked.  
  
"Guys this is Helios someone who's near and dear to my heart." Rini began, "Helios these are my friends Jenna, Danni, her brother Eric, Nicole, her sister Chloe, Kari, Kerri, Alex, Michelle, and Annya. And of course you remember Diana. Over there is her brother Apollo and next to him is my younger brother Ian."  
  
"It's an honor to meet the children of the Sailor Senshi and their guardians. And Diana it's very good to see you again." He said to the group.  
  
"Yes it's good to see you too." Diana replied.  
  
Once the cake was cut and placed on the buffet table the music began once again. Helios took Rini by the hand and led her to the dance floor. Everyone watched as the young couple moved gracefully across the floor. Serenity and Endymoin smiled as they watched their daughter and the guardian of Elysian share a tender moment. They knew the young pair cared deeply for each other.  
The dancing and frivolity continued on throughout the night. Some would say the princess's first birthday ball was one of the best they had been to. The younger generation would say it was bout time they were able to participate in a ball all their own. All in all Serenity and Endymoin would say it was the best birthday they had ever spent together.  
  
********  
  
The children of the Senshi begin their training together as a team. Meanwhile, Luna takes it upon herself to find out why Apollo is friends with the strays. While intelligence reports flow into the palace indicating the presence of a new enemy. Next on Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training Part Two Training Ground.  



	2. Training Ground

In the remaining days of the twentieth century a great evil attacked the Earth. To combat this evil Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi revealed themselves to the entire world. But this battle had its consequences and the Earth became covered in a blanket of ice and snow. One thousand years later Sailor Moon awakens the world through the power of her Silver Crystal. A great city of crystal had arisen in Tokyo during the darkness. The world now looked to this city and its rulers Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymoin to protect the world. The time is twenty-three years after wakening and a new group of Sailor Senshi is about to emerge.  
  
********  
"I want you to wear that to your ball tonight." Serenity said with a smile.  
  
"My ball mother? But what about your own party?" Rini asked a bit confused.  
********  
"It's the boy again." Artimes said hoping the queen would know what he meant.  
  
"Having problems again is he? I think I know how you can help him." Serenity replied.  
  
"How Serena? How are we going to help him stay away from those awful, awful strays?" Luna wanted to know.  
********  
"Wow, birthday wishes do come true." Rini commented with a smile.  
  
"Happy birthday my Maiden. May all your dreams and wishes come true." Helios said as he gently took Rini's hand and kissed it.  
  
********  
  
Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training  
Part Two: Training Ground  
  
********  
  
In the days following the awakening of the world the leaders of the world gathered together to create a centralized government. The events that had taken place before Icefall had caused the leaders of the more powerful nations to second guess and doubt their abilities as leader. It wasn't until the President of the United States sent out a call to Sailor Moon, leader of the Sailor Senshi, to speak before the United Nations that they began to believe in themselves again.   
It was at this session that the world first met Princess Serenity and Prince Endymoin.  
  
The leaders of the world began to rally behind Serenity and Endymoin looking to the young sovereigns for guidance. At Serenity's suggestion the governments of the world would continue to function under the direction of the Crystal Palace in Tokyo. On July 4 of that same year worldwide peace and democracy was declared with the signing of the World Peace Act in the UN. This act declared Serenity and Endymoin the leaders of a now unified Earth.  
  
********  
  
Four days had come and gone since Rini's birthday and another day of celebration had come to not only Crystal Tokyo but also the entire world. July 4 wasn't just Independence Day in America it was now known as World Peace Day. People all over the world would commemorate the occasion with picnics concerts and fireworks. America showed the rest of the world how to properly celebrate a worldwide holiday such as this one.  
  
Things were getting back to normal in the Crystal Palace. Preparations were being made for the World Peace Day celebration and the arrival of the princess's court. Helios had stayed in the palace as a guest of the royal family spending most of his time with Rini. Luna and Artimes tried to take the queen's advice to heart and began spending time with both of their children together as both humans and cats.  
  
The queen's personal assistant Ikuno stood outside the main entrance to the palace waiting for the guests to arrive. Today Ikuno would be giving the princess's court the ten-cent tour of the palace before they began their training as senshi. The routine tour was important if the senshi were going to spend part of their time at the palace. Ikuno didn't see this as playing tour guide she saw this as a part of the senshi's training. This was one assignment she didn't mind taking.  
  
One by one the senshi and their families began to arrive at the palace. When all of the members of the Sailor Team had arrived at the palace Ikuno began the tour.  
  
"Hello and welcome to the Crystal Palace. It's good to see you all again. I am Ikuno the queen's personal assistant. I'll be taking you a little tour of the palace so you can become more familiar with your surroundings. If you will all follow me we can begin the tour." Ikuno said to the princess's court.  
  
********  
  
"This is the council chamber." Ikuno began as she opened the large doors, "As you can see it has been modeled after the UN council chambers in New York City in America. Up at the front of the chamber are the designated places for the king and queen and their court. There are four seats on either side of them. It is in here that once a month the affairs of the world are discussed. It has been said the queen's mother the great Queen Serenity once used a similar system to discuss matters of state during the Silver Millennium when all planets were at peace."  
  
The group of ten followed Ikuno out of the back door to the council chambers and down a small hallway that led to an informal reception room. Ikuno explained the purpose of the room in the same way she had been explaining the other stops on their tour.  
  
"This is one of the palace reception rooms. There are two formal and two informal rooms one small and one large. The small one is for receiving people without press coverage. The large room allows us to have large groups and press coverage. The formal rooms, which are in the front of the palace, are for state functions such as state dinners. And as you might have guessed the informal rooms, which are off the council chambers, are for greeting guest speakers, special guests, and tour groups."  
  
The group of ten looked around the reception room and noticed a small seating area and a large oak table with a cherry wood box on top of it. The back door opened and one of the many council aids came into the room and whispered something into Ikuno's ear. Ikuno gave him a nod and turned to face the group once more.  
  
"It appears your trainer wishes to speak with you a bit earlier than I had originally thought. She should be here in just a moment." Ikuno told them.  
  
A few minutes later the back door to the reception room opened and to the surprise of the entire group Diana walked in and stood behind the table. On this particular day Diana was wearing a soft gray button shirt with a white tank underneath and black skirt and riding boots. Around her neck was a pink choker with the bell she wore when she was younger. Looking over the group assembled before her Diana gave a smile and began her presentation.  
  
"Welcome each and every one of you. It is a real pleasure to see you once more. By now you should have learned the purpose of today's visit to the palace. Other than the informal picnic and fireworks display planned for latter in the day you have been asked here to begin your formal training as Sailor Senshi. Growing up your parents have been preparing you for this day the day when you would become Sailor Senshi." Diana began, "As your guardian and trainer it is my job to make certain you become the best Senshi you can be. To begin you on the path to becoming a Sailor Senshi I would like to present to you your henshin wands."  
  
Diana opened the cherry box revealing seven beautifully crafted "pens" with small orbs on the top of them. Along with the wands was a pin and a pendant that had an odd crest upon it. Jenna wondered why there were only seven wands when clearly there were going to be eight senshi.  
  
"Diana why are there only seven wands in the box?" she asked.  
  
"Because I have already received my henshin wand." Kerri answered.  
  
"Kerri is right. She began her formal training as a Sailor Senshi ten years ago when she was twelve. You see a lot more goes into being Sailor Pluto than just knowing how to use the attacks. The Senshi of Pluto is also the guardian of the gates of time. With that responsibility comes a lot of rules and regulations that she had to learn." Diana explained to everyone.  
  
"Learning to feel time itself is no easy task." Kerri added.  
  
"What about Sailor Moon? Who's going to take her position?" Kari wanted to know.  
  
"The position of Sailor Moon has already been filled and like Kerri she has been under going formal training for nine years now. To be Sailor Moon means learning how to one day use the Silver Crystal." Diana told her.  
  
The girls began to wonder who Sailor Moon could be. Only Kerri and Diana knew who the next Sailor Moon was. Diana had seen her fight right along side her mother and the other Sailor Senshi and Kerri had spent some time training with her in their own time.  
  
The question on the minds of nine members of the court was answered when Rini entered the room. Sporting her trademark hairstyle Rini was wearing a simple pink sundress and a pair of white sandals. Around her neck was a small golden bell that tinkled whenever she moved. The group was unaware that this was Helios's Crystal Carillon. Rini smiled at her friends and watched as Diana continued her presentation to the group.  
  
"Before you can receive your henshin wand you must first take the Oath of the Senshi." Diana said to the girls.  
  
"My mother once told me that the Oath of the Senshi is a sacred trust and promise to protect the princess, the kingdom, and your world. The day you become a senshi you make this oath to the princess. Our mothers made this oath during the Silver Millennium and I made that same oath on my twelfth birthday." Kerri explained.  
  
"Today you will be making that oath to your princess. Kerri would you please recite the oath for the others." Diana added.  
  
Kerri stepped forward and stood in front of Rini. Kerri gave Rini her wand and then placed her hand upon it. Her entire life Kerri was always taller than Rini but her entire life Kerri was the one who looked up to her. On this day Kerri was going to renew the oath.  
  
"I am a Sailor Senshi. I am noble of spirit and brave of heart and my friendship knows no end. By taking this wand I accept the rights and responsibilities of a Senshi. From this day forth I vow to protect the princess, the kingdom, and the world from any and all evil. In the name of Pluto my life, my service, my staff and all of time I give to you." Kerri said.  
  
Ikuno, Chloe, and Eric were in for a real treat for they were going to be one of the few who ever got to witness the Oath of the Senshi. Jenna was the next to take the oath.  
  
"I am a Sailor Senshi. I am noble of spirit and brave of heart and my friendship knows no end. By taking this wand I accept the rights and responsibilities of a senshi. From this day forth I vow to protect the princess, the kingdom, and the world from any and all evil. In the name of Mercury my life, my service, my wisdom I give to you." Jenna said.  
  
When the oath was over Rini gave Jenna the henshin wand of Mercury and smiled. Danni then prepared to take the oath.  
  
"I am a Sailor Senshi. I am noble of spirit and brave of heart and my friendship knows no end. By taking this wand I accept the rights and responsibilities of a Senshi. From this day forth I vow to protect the princess, the kingdom, and the world from any and all evil. In the name of Mars my life, my service, and my arrows I give to you." Danni recited before receiving her wand.  
Nicole was next and nervously stepped forward. "I am a Sailor Senshi. I am noble of spirit and brave of heart and my friendship knows no end. By taking this wand I accept the rights and responsibilities of a Senshi. From this day forth I vow to protect the princess, the kingdom, and the world from any and all evil. In the name of Jupiter my life, my service, and my thunder I give to you."  
  
Rini handed the tall French girl her wand and gave her the patented Tsukino smile indicating everything was completely informal. Taking a deep breath Kari went next.  
  
"I am a Sailor Senshi. I am noble of spirit and brave of heart and my friendship knows no end. By taking this wand I accept the rights and responsibilities of a Senshi. From this day forth I vow to protect the princess, the kingdom, and the world from any and all evil. In the name of Venus my life, my service, my leadership, and my heart I give to you."  
  
There were three more to go Alex, Michelle, and Annya. Alex went first.  
  
"I am a Sailor Senshi. I am noble of spirit and brave of heart and my friendship knows no end. By taking this wand I accept the rights and responsibilities of a Senshi. From this day forth I vow to protect the princess, the kingdom, and the world from any and all evil. In the name of Uranus my life, my service, and my sword I give to you." Alex said.  
  
Michelle was next. "I am a Sailor Senshi. I am noble of spirit and brave of heart and my friendship knows no end. By taking this wand I accept the rights and responsibilities of a Senshi. From this day forth I vow to protect the princess, the kingdom, and the world from any and all evil. In the name of Neptune my life, my service, and my mirror I give to you."  
The last to go was the smallest senshi Annya. "I am a Sailor Senshi. I am noble of spirit and brave of heart and my friendship knows no end. By taking this wand I accept the rights and responsibilities of a senshi. From this day forth I vow to protect the princess, the kingdom, and the world from any and all evil. In the name of Saturn my life, my service, and my glaive I give to you."  
  
Diana smiled at the new senshi, her senshi, and felt a sense of pride growing inside of her. She would, with some advice and guidance from her parents, train them to defend and protect the world from evil. Diana was finally getting her chance to step out of her parents' shadow and show the world what she could do. And she was going to do the best job she could.  
  
********  
  
Most lunar felines are either advisors or guardians. Advisors work with dignitaries and royalty giving them advice on how to handle certain situations and deal with certain individuals. Guardians work with soldiers and senshi training and watching over them. Lunar felines usually make good companions offering sound advice and an ear. Unlike normal felines all lunar felines have the ability to speak.  
  
Lunar felines are also born with a unique ability. Lunar felines have the ability to be able to change into humanoid form. Most lunar felines when they are in humanoid form are indistinguishable from normal everyday humans. The only distinguishing mark seen in humanoid form is a crescent moon. The few lunar felines that are distinguishable from normal humans retain their tail in humanoid form.  
  
Lunar felines can give birth in either feline or humanoid form. If the child is born when the mother is in humanoid form the tail is not present during humanoid form. But if the child is born when the mother is in feline form there is a chance the tail will be present in humanoid form.  
  
During the Silver Millennium lunar felines were present throughout the entire galaxy. Now there were only four known lunar felines left in the galaxy, the advisors to Queen Serenity and their offspring. Luna and Artimes were both advisors and guardians during the Silver Millennium and the reawakening. The senshi were not only warriors but dignitaries as well. They were the representatives of their worlds to the council.  
  
********  
  
Luna sat at the table in the dining hall with her son Apollo. The feline family spent most of their time in humanoid form. Serenity had even made certain there were rooms in the palace available for them to use. Luna and Artimes had taken her up on the offer taking a room for themselves. They had even become a legally married couple letting Rei perform a simple Shinto wedding ceremony. Now with their children around they began to act like a married couple as well. Diana at first chose not to use her humanoid form or the room offered to her because she wanted to spend as much time as possible with Rini. She slept at the foot of the princess's bed at night and offered cuddles and hugs during the day. Now that she had grown up Diana spent most of her time in humanoid form. She had a room but she still opted to sleep at the foot of Rini's bed at night.  
  
Apollo was a different story. Growing up Apollo chose to remain a feline sleeping in every hidden area of the palace. In the morning the staff usually found him under a table, behind a chair, or in some closet or cabinet. Apollo never slept at the foot of someone's bed. He took full advantage of his feline side and everyone was well aware of this. When Apollo reached full maturity he began using his humanoid side taking advantage of the perks that went along with the other side of who he was. And in both forms Apollo became a master at hiding the telltale marks of his position and heritage. Apollo knew how to cover up the crescent and what to wear to hide his tail.  
  
It was about this time Apollo began spending his nights outside the castle. At first he rummaged through garbage cans and roamed the alleyways behind restaurants looking for discarded scraps. He acted just like his father Artimes but then he hooked up with the stray cats that ran around town. Some would say they were the same stray cats that roamed the streets of Tokyo one thousand years earlier. Others would say they were the descendants of those cats. Whoever they were these particular strays had a nasty reputation. If they were human they would be considered one of the worst gangs in all of Crystal Tokyo.  
  
Why Apollo hung around them Luna did not know. On this particular morning she intended to get answers to those questions. The young male seated near her poked at the food in front of him showing no interest in the sausage and waffles. Apollo looked as though he had the feline equivalent of a hangover. He was very tired, had a pasty complexion and a sour stomach; something he ate the prior night was not sitting well with him. Luna looked at her son with a worried look on her face. She wished Artimes could be there with them but he had official business to attend to.  
  
"Apollo are you feeling alright?" Luna asked him.  
  
"Mom I didn't get a lot of sleep last night and to top it off something I ate last night has my stomach all messed up. To use a tired old pun I feel like something the cat dragged in." he told her.  
  
"You went out again last night didn't you?" Luna asked him as she went over to the buffet and fixed a glass of soda water.  
  
"Yes but on my own this time I swear." Apollo answered.  
  
"Here, drink this slowly. It should help calm your stomach." Luna instructed him.  
  
Apollo took a slow sip of the soda water and grimaced at the taste. It was in terrible need of some flavor. The king had the etched glass soda charger on the buffet to add soda water to after dinner drinks. On this particular morning the soda water served as a cure all for an upset stomach.  
  
"Apollo I'm not trying to pry into your private life but there's something I need you to help me understand. I'd like to be able to understand why you hang around the stray cats." Luna said.  
  
"At first it was because they knew some of the best back alleys to rummage through for scraps and they let me join them in their rummages. Now even I don't know why I stay friends with them. I genuinely thought they were harmless strays without a home." He tried to explain.  
"Then you found out what they were really like."  
  
"Some of them aren't like that. They are still the same cats I became friends with. But they stick around the others because they happen to be stronger and bigger and can offer protection. I've voiced my opinion many times about their behavior but they won't change or kick me out."  
  
"Do you have any idea why they haven't left you?"  
  
"I think it's because they know who I really am." Apollo said dryly.  
  
"Didn't they know you were a lunar feline?" Luna asked.  
  
"At first they did. The first time I saw them I didn't have my crescent covered. But the next time I saw them I did and I thought they truly believed I was a different cat. Well, I came to learn they knew all along and were keeping me around as insurance."  
  
"Insurance?"  
  
"You know if we ever got caught all I would have to do was show off my crescent like a get out of jail free card and we'd all be let go."  
  
The conversation between mother and son continued for quite some time. Apollo was able to clear up a few questions and concerns Luna had. And Luna honestly thought she was making some headway with her son. Hopefully she would be able to get him to understand that it was all right for him to leave the strays even if they still wanted him around.  
  
********  
  
The palace training grounds were immense. Starting at the back of the palace and stretching out for ten acres the training grounds had a target range and a large dojo. The dojo, which was not connected to the palace, was a place where one could work on martial arts, gymnastics, self-defense, or work out frustrations without disturbing the rest of the palace. The target range allowed the senshi to hone their skills and accuracy. It also allowed other individuals the chance to work on hobbies such as target shooting and archery. On this day the training grounds would see plenty of action.  
  
Sitting off to the left-hand side of the training grounds was a large stone and brick patio off of the back of the palace. Here people could sit and enjoy the outdoors or watch what was taking place on the training grounds. The small group on the patio on this day was more interested in what was taking place on the training grounds. Luna and Apollo had joined Artimes, Helios, Ian, and Chloe to watch the newest senshi use their transformations and attacks for the first time. Diana was on the patio talking to Artimes before the first training session would begin.  
"This data pad contains all the information you will need on the senshi's transformations and attacks in order to help you train them. The attacks are slightly different then the ones their mothers use but they have the same power base." Artimes said handing the pad to his daughter who had now removed the gray shirt she was wearing.  
  
"Thanks dad." Diana replied giving him a hug and smile.  
  
Diana joined the others on the training grounds who were waiting for Rini to join them. Out of the corner of her eye Diana caught sight of Serenity out on her private balcony watching the events on the grounds below. A large knot worked its way into the pit of her stomach. Now she knew she had to have a near perfect training session. It wasn't just her parents' opinion she worried about anymore now she had to worry about the opinion of the queen as well.  
Rini came out of the palace dressed in a pink soccer shirt and white shorts. She no longer had the bell around her neck. In her hand she held a heart shaped locket. Rini was prepared for whatever Diana had planned. Glancing over at her best friend she saw her looking over a data pad.  
  
"Ready to rock and roll?" Rini asked announcing her presence.  
  
"Okay now that everyone is here we can begin." Diana said.  
  
"What's first on our schedule of events oh great guru?" Rini inquired with a grin.  
  
"First you transform. Then we work on getting you used to using your attacks." Diana told them.  
  
"Transform? How?" Jenna wondered.  
  
"Everyone but Sailor Moon has the same transformation phrase with one minor difference. All you have to do is call out the name of your planet followed by the words Planet Power." Kerri answered.  
  
"How does Sailor Moon transform?" Danni asked.  
  
"I guess a little demonstration is in order." Rini said with a smile.  
  
Holding up her locket Rini called forth her transformation.  
  
"MOON CRISIS POWER!"  
  
In a flash of light Rini was transformed into her Super Sailor Moon uniform. The fuku was white with cap sleeves that had a white gauze cap at the bottom and a pink flap in the back. The skirt was white with pink and gold bands at the bottom and a gold belt with a pink heart at the top. The tiara she wore was gold with a pink jewel in the center. The long white gloves had pink bands at the top. The knee-high boots she wore were pink with crescent moons on a white band at the top. The locket she carried was now placed in the center of a pink bow that matched a bow at the back that had tails that ended at the back of the knee. In her hair were two combs that resembled wings and around her neck was a pink choker with a crescent moon on it.  
  
"Um I hate to be a party pooper but how are we going to hide our identities from people?" Nikki wanted to know.  
  
"She has a good point there." Alex added.  
  
"If Rini hadn't transformed in front of you just then you wouldn't even know it was her. That tiara she wears masks her true identity." Diana explained.  
  
"So then I would wager that the number one rule here is to never transform in front of anyone who doesn't already know you're a Senshi." Michelle said getting nods from Diana, Rini, and Kerri.  
The rest of the group transformed and checked each other out. The uniforms they wore were the standard entry-level uniforms. Each uniform had a solid colored skirt, short back bow, and plain choker and jewel that matched the skirt and flap color. The fuku's all had plain cap sleeves except for Kerri's which had no sleeves at all and Annya's which had sleeves that resembled wings.  
  
Once the group had finished checking each other out Diana decided it was high time to get down to business. The first thing the girls needed to learn was their basic attacks. Diana checked the data pad for a description of each senshi's attack. Her parents and the queen had created different attacks for the younger Sailor Team since their mothers still had their own powers and attacks.  
  
"The first thing you need to know before attempting any attacks is the name of your attacks. Upon the creation of your henshin wands the queen gave them different attacks connected to them drawing from the same power base as your mothers'." Diana told them.  
  
"That would help out a lot." Danni said sarcastically with a huge grin.  
  
"Ha, ha but seriously ladies here's a run down of who can do what. Mercury you have two mist and ice based attacks. The first, Mercury Cloud Blast is a fog like cloaking device. The second, Mercury Ice Shard Freeze is an attack that hits them with icicles. Mars besides the Shinto ward move your mother may have taught you your basic attack is Mars Fireball Ignite. This attack sends a ball of fire at your opponent. Jupiter your attack Jupiter Thunderstorm Crash sends a pretty good-sized charge of untapped electrical energy at anyone on your path. Venus your attack the Venus Meteor Shower sends multiple condensed energy beams at the enemy." Diana began, "Pluto since you haven't been given the garnet staff yet your attack Chrono Freeze sends a ball of energy towards your opponent that will stop them dead in their tracks allowing the opportunity to either get in some direct hits or make a hasty retreat. Uranus you will have one attack to begin with. The Mountain Quake is a ground-based attack that literally rocks the ground beneath your opponent's feet. Neptune your attack Tsunami Wave sends a powerful energy ball with all the force of a crashing wave upon your opponent. And finally Saturn since most of your mother's attacks are glaive driven we had to be a bit creative with your two attacks. The first maneuver Silence Block puts up a shield between you and the attacking enemy. The second attack Silence Ring sends a ring of energy towards the enemy. It's similar in nature to the Silence Glaive Surprise. Okay the next order of business is to have a little target practice."  
  
********  
  
Serenity watched the events from the balcony with pride. If the next few months went well the others could retire from the senshi business and live somewhat normal lives. And from what she saw below things were going quite well. A smile came across her face as she watched the young group gathered below test out their new abilities. In the back of her mind Serenity hoped nothing would go wrong on this day.  
  
The door to Serenity's private quarters opened with a slight groan. The sound of footsteps could be heard on the stone floor that ran throughout the entire palace. They were light and feminine and clicked each time the heel struck the floor. Serenity turned around to see Ikuno standing in the doorway that led from the room to the balcony. The look on her assistant's face was one she was hoping never to see again.  
  
"Ikuno is something wrong?" Serenity asked the young woman.  
  
"Yes ma'am something is terribly wrong. They need you in the control room right away." Ikuno told her with a twinge in her voice.  
  
"Who?" Serenity wanted to know.  
  
"Your husband and the head of intelligence." Ikuno answered.  
  
Serenity knew it had to have been very serious if Endymoin was in the control room. The last time he personally oversaw palace intelligence was right before the attack by the Black Moon Family. If there was a reason for her to be called to the control room it was because a new evil was detected. Serenity left the balcony and headed for the palace control room.  
  
********  
  
The control room of the Crystal Palace consists of a vast array of sensors and view screens. It is in this room that palace intelligence monitors events all over the world and through out the galaxy. Using a network of satellites and deep space scanners the Crystal Palace can prepare for any unforeseen event before it happens.  
  
It was here in the control room of the palace that King Endymoin watched over Crystal Tokyo during the attack by the Dark Moon Family. Using the holographic communications system Endymoin was able to guide the Sailor Senshi when he was physically unable to leave the room. Since then Endymoin only went into the control room when there was serious trouble detected.  
  
********  
  
Serenity could tell Endymoin was not in the best of moods. Every single alarm in the control was going off at the same time. And both Endymoin and the head of intelligence, Mr. Fugiama, were trying to restore some sense of order to the room. Serenity's arrival caused the members of palace intelligence to scramble even faster to try and find a way to quiet the systems. On this day chaos reigned supreme in the palace control room.  
  
"Mr. Fugiama what have the sensors detected?" Serenity asked over the noise in the room.  
  
"According to our reports the sub space sensors have detected the energy pattern belonging to Chaos himself. It appears that Chaos is trying to regroup." He said a bit louder than normal.  
  
"Do you think Chaos will try and head for Earth?" Endymoin asked a bit loud at first but then softer once the alarms were shut off.  
  
"At this point we do not know. We will continue to monitor the Chaos energy patterns and keep you updated on the situation." He told them.  
  
"Please do. And please inform us of any new developments the moment they happen." Serenity let them know.  
  
"Yes queen we will let you know the moment when we have new information on the situation." Fugiama replied.  
  
Serenity left the control room with a heavy heart. She couldn't stand the thought of Chaos returning. She wouldn't let herself go though what she went through the last time. She wasn't about to let anyone die again. And she wasn't about to let her daughter get involved if Chaos did indeed return to Earth. She needed to call a meeting with the Sailors. A meeting they hadn't had in a very long time.  
  
********  
  
The senshi sat in the parlor wondering why Serenity had called them there. After a few minutes of waiting Serenity walked into the parlor dressed in a simple white sundress accompanied by Endymoin. She looked more like Serena Tsukino than the leader of the world. Rei wanted to yell at her for being late to her own meeting but then remembered her protocol. Ami sighed remembering all the times Serena had been late to the meetings at the temple. Some things never change.  
  
Mina wondered why Serenity wanted the meeting to take place in the parlor and not the council chambers or her office. "So why are we meeting in here?" she asked.  
  
"I wanted to relive the old days when we used to go over to Rei's temple for all our meetings. Back when we didn't worry about protocol or duty, when we were just teenagers." Serenity answered.  
  
The doors to the parlor opened once more and Luna and Artimes came running into the room. The pair had shifted back into their feline forms more out of nostalgia than necessity. Luna found her way to Serenity's lap while Artimes happily opted for Mina's warm embrace. A smile came upon his face when Mina picked him up. It had been far too long since the last time she cuddled him the way she did.  
  
"Alright, now that everyone is here I can give you my reason for calling this meeting." Serenity told her friends with a heavy heart.  
  
"Is something wrong Serena?" Ami asked.  
  
The inner senshi rarely called the queen by her birth name. They only used it when they showed great concern for one of their closest friends. And this was one of those times.  
"Chaos is on the move once more. Intelligence reports that energy patterns resembling those that match Chaos are coming together. They don't know if Chaos will return to Earth but they are keeping a close watch on the situation." Serenity told them.  
  
Upon hearing this Luna and Artimes shot right up and listened intently to every single word that followed. This was quite serous.  
  
"What are WE going to do?" Lita wanted to know.  
  
"Ami, I want you to interface your palm top with the computers in the control room. That way if the sensors do pick up something you can be informed of it right away and let the others know." Serenity told the palace doctor.  
  
"I could get myself acclimated to Chaos's energy pattern. That way if he does get past the sensors we'll still have a way of knowing." Rei suggested.  
  
"I don't know how this will affect the time line but I can check it to make certain this series of events doesn't have any future repercussions." Setsuna added.  
  
"Right and Michiru can use her mirror to see if there is any possibility of Chaos even coming to Earth." The queen said.  
  
"So along with palace intelligence we have every means of detection the senshi have on this particular case." Endymoin summed up.  
  
"But what about the rest of us?" Haruka wanted to know.  
  
"You work with your daughters all of you. You need to keep your strength at its peak." Luna replied to the speed demon.  
  
"Even though you're working with them they must not know the reason why. None of your children must know what was said in this room today. This is going to be the hardest thing you've ever done but the girls are not ready for a fight such as this." Serenity commanded.  
  
The senshi nodded in silence understanding Serenity's reason for not wanting to involve the young warriors and their guardian. They didn't want their daughters to ever have to face death until they were very old and gray.  
  
********  
  
During the Silver Millennium lunar felines were dispatched throughout the galaxy as guardians, advisors, and ambassadors. Living on planets outside our solar system these felines, as well as the worlds they lived on, survived the end of the Silver Millennium. Unknown to those who were reborn of the Moon Kingdom these felines thrived and multiplied.  
  
Living scattered throughout the galaxy these felines are unaware of the changes that have taken place on the Earth. Their only concern, maintaining peace between their people and the worlds they live on. The greatest threat to that peace comes from within.  
  
********  
  
The reports had filtered in. The traitor was on the move. Ever since they could remember no one had given up their birthright and followed the path of evil, no one that is until now. The traitor had succeeded in beginning the process that would bring Chaos back into the galaxy. If they didn't do something soon the galaxy would be doom.  
  
"Where am I headed?" the muscular young red head wanted to know.  
  
"To the sol system. It is believed that the third planet in this system will be the final destination for Chaos and the traitor. Our kind once lived in this system and inhabited the satellite that orbits that planet. It is important that you stop Chaos before he finds a host and bring the traitor to justice." The mission commander told him.  
  
The young man gave a quick salute before entering his ship, the sign of his birth present on his forehead. He wasn't certain what he would find once he reached the third world of the sol system. His kind didn't have much information on the sol system after they left to establish lives elsewhere. Now thousands of years later he was going to be the first of his kind to return to the place of their origin. What he would find on this strange world he was not certain. The one thing he was certain of was the traitor was no longer one of them.  
  
"Good luck. The future of our kind depends on you." The commander said as the ship took off.  
  
********  
  
Chaos is on the move once more. The queen and her senshi prepare for the return of Chaos to the Earth. Meanwhile, Orion passes the time recalling his days in the academy. While a mysterious new visitor seen around Crystal Tokyo captures Apollo's heart. Next on Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training Part Three: The Mysterious Girl.  



	3. The Mysterious Girl

In the remaining days of the twentieth century a great evil attacked the Earth. To combat this evil Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi revealed themselves to the entire world. But this battle had its consequences and the Earth became covered in a blanket of ice and snow. One thousand years later Sailor Moon awakens the world through the power of her Silver Crystal. A great city of crystal had arisen in Tokyo during the darkness. The world now looked to this city and its rulers Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymoin to protect the world. The time is twenty-three years after wakening and a new group of Sailor Senshi is about to emerge.  
  
********  
"Before you can receive your henshin wand you must first take the Oath of the Senshi." Diana said to the girls.  
********  
"Do you have any idea why they haven't left you?"  
  
"I think it's because they know who I really am." Apollo said dryly.  
********  
"Insurance?"  
  
"You know if we ever got caught all I would have to do was show off my crescent like a get out of jail free card and we'd all be let go."  
********  
"According to our reports the sub space sensors have detected the energy pattern belonging to Chaos himself. It appears that Chaos is trying to regroup." He said a bit louder than normal.  
********  
"Good luck. The future of our kind depends on you." The commander said as the ship took off.  
  
********  
  
Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training  
Part Three: The Mysterious Girl  
  
********  
  
The threat of Chaos returning to Earth had Queen Serenity and her senshi on alert. The elder senshi began taking an interest in the training their daughters were receiving. Keeping the true reasons for this interest hidden was proving to be very difficult. With the palace on full scale alert Rini, Diana, Apollo, and Ian began to suspect something was up.  
  
The senshi began meeting on regular basis. The tone of the meetings took a light airy feel. Rini and Diana could tell they were reliving the days of their youth when protocol and formality were the farthest things from their minds. The laughter that came from the parlor or the back terrace was a much-welcomed sound in the palace. Even the sound of Lady Mars yelling at the queen and calling her by her birth name brought a smile to the faces of the palace staff.  
  
The younger senshi began meeting as well. They were discussing their training and how to improve themselves. But mostly they were discussing why their mothers were being so secretive about their reasons for wanting to train with their daughters. And why their mothers were acting so strange lately. One way or another Rini and her friends were going to find the answers.  
  
"Okay we know something's up." Rini began "Our mothers don't usually act this weird. And besides when Puu begins to act strange that's a sure sign they're hiding something."  
  
The children of the senshi, Helios, and their guardian and her brother were once again meeting in Rini's room to discuss the situation at hand.  
  
"Tell me about it. My mother never hides anything from me." Jenna said.  
  
"My mother is pretty secretive about things but when she refuses to continue my lessons with the time line I begin to worry." Kerri told them.  
  
"What I don't understand is all this mother daughter bonding time we seem to be having lately." Alex commented.  
  
"You too huh?" Nikki wondered.  
  
"I was told it was because she wanted to stay in top physical condition." Kari said.  
  
"Well whatever the reason one thing's for certain something big is about to happen." Rini added.  
  
********  
  
The queen and her senshi were also having a meeting that day. They were getting an update on the Chaos situation. The queen wanted to know if her friends had detected any new developments with Chaos. It had been some time since palace intelligence had detected movement in Chaos. With their greatest threat on the move once more the senshi had to be extra careful.  
  
"So have you guys come up with anything?" Serenity asked her friends.  
  
"Negative." Ami replied.  
  
"I haven't come up with anything either." Rei told them.  
  
"I've gotten some bits and pieces but the mirror doesn't tell me anything definite." Michiru added.  
  
"I couldn't get anything from the time line. I don't think this will have any effect on the time line." Setsuna said sounding a bit dejected.  
  
"The important thing is we keep our eyes open. We don't know when or even if Chaos will return so we must be prepared at all times." Luna reminded them.  
  
"You're right Luna. We have to be ready no matter what." Mina commented.  
  
********  
  
The small space ship drifted through space. The lone pilot was busy looking over the information his people had on the sol system and his final destination its third planet. Looking over the centuries old information he wondered if the Moon Kingdom still existed. Running his fingers over his tired eyes the pilot decided to take a break from looking at the data. Reaching into his uniform he pulled out a locket and opened it. Inside was a photograph of him with a young woman. The woman with her buttery blonde hair, blue eyes, and gentle smile was the reason he was on this mission.  
  
"Why did you have to do it? Why did you have to become a part of his twisted world?" he said to the locket knowing he would never get an answer.  
  
Looking at the photograph the young pilot recalled the first day he met the remarkable young woman who would eventually become his best friend. Back then he never imagined she would betray her entire race and let the darkness take over her.  
  
********  
  
FLASHBACK:  
  
Orion walked into the gates of the academy and took a good look at his surroundings. The area was immense and foreboding. It was said the academy had been around since the time of their forefathers. Everyone knew they came from outside the star system. And everyone knew they were connected to the great Moon Kingdom.  
The academy was the training grounds for the guardians. They were the protectors of their world. In the Moon Kingdom the guardians watched over the royal family and trained the senshi. To become a guardian brought honor to one's home. Taking a deep breath Orion walked towards the barracks and his journey to become a guardian.  
  
Walking into the barracks Orion was greeted by young woman with buttery blonde hair and blue eyes. On her forehead he could see a golden crescent much like the one he bore.  
  
"Hello and welcome. I hope your stay here is a good one." She said with a smile.  
  
"Thank you very much. My name is Orion and you are?" he replied.  
  
"I am Gaia." She told him.  
  
"Gaia huh? So how long have you been here?"  
  
"A year."  
  
"A year, but you look no older than I do."  
  
"I started my lessons at a young age allowing me to advance to the next level a year early."  
  
"Wow that's impressive."  
  
Gaia smiled at Orion's remark. No one at the academy thought anything about someone skipping a year of training. It was seen as a part a life. It amused Gaia to hear Orion give her praise and admiration. Gaia could tell they were going to become good friends.  
  
The years went by and soon Orion and Gaia received their commissioning. Through hard work and dedication Orion was able to graduate the same year as his friend. They were even assigned to the same detail working well with each other. But something went wrong. Somehow Gaia had gone mad with rage. The last mission they were on together saw them become separated on a nearby forest planet. When they reunited Gaia no longer bore the mark of their ancestors and Orion could feel the rage and hatred in her heart. Gaia had even tired to kill him.  
  
"Gaia what has gotten into you?" Orion asked her.  
  
"What has gotten into me? You ask me that little man. I'll tell you what has gotten into me. I have seen my destiny and that destiny is with my lord Chaos. Soon Chaos will reign once more and you can do nothing to stop me." She told him. Orion could detect venom in her voice.  
  
"Your crescent it's gone. But how?" Orion wanted to know.  
  
"Once I gave myself to my lord Chaos I no longer needed that silly little mark in order to change forms. I am no longer a lunar feline I am much more. I am the disciple of Chaos." She explained.  
  
"But why?" he begged her to know.  
  
"You never asked me what my name meant did you? It means earth or more appropriately daughter of Chaos. I was born of Chaos and now I shall serve Chaos."  
  
In a great flash of light Gaia disappeared and Orion never saw her again. It was a year later when the council told him the traitor set in motion the process of bringing Chaos back into the galaxy. They all knew the traitor was once a lunar feline but they didn't know who it was. Only Orion knew the truth behind the traitor's identity and he was determined to stop her at any cost.  
  
********  
  
The tears began streaming down his face. Orion wept for his lost friend. I don't know if I'll ever meet another like you, he thought. Once she was his best friend now she was his mortal enemy. Orion put the locket back under his uniform and got back to the mission at hand. Plotting his course towards the planet called Earth Orion engaged the interdimensional drives. He wasn't going to waist any time.  
  
********  
  
Apollo used the secret entrance to the palace to sneak past the palace guards and head out into the city. It was a regular occurrence for him to sneak out night after night and roam around the city. The guards never noticed him sneaking out. And since his parents and the queen had not said anything about stopping him from going out they didn't even try to. It was the perfect situation.  
  
Luna and Artimes had been indeed spending more time with their son. They had found out why he went out night after night but even though they knew the reason it still didn't help any. Apollo still went out each night and he still hung around his so-called friends.  
  
The strays waited for Apollo in a nearby alley. The moment the young lunar feline joined the group they were on their way. The large orange tabby that declared himself leader of the group headed towards their first destination with the others in tow. Apollo wondered what was on tonight's agenda. The sight of the restaurant district answered his question.  
  
"More rummaging and begging. Great just great." Apollo mumbled.  
  
The tabby turned and hissed at him in an attempt to tell Apollo to shut his mouth. Apollo didn't attempt to argue with the tabby. He was not in the mood to fight this evening. Why even bother trying you know they outnumber you, he thought.  
  
There didn't need to be any vocal conversation between Apollo and the other cats. The gestures and movements they made were conversation enough. And lately these movements told Apollo he had better do as he was told or suffer the consequences. In the back alley behind the Rose Café Apollo slipped away from the strays and shifted back to humanoid form. He needed some time alone.  
  
Apollo popped out from alley behind the café headed towards the park. Little did he know Chloe was heading home from her shift at the café. The eldest daughter of Jupiter caught sight of the lunar feline and decided to grab his attention. She figured she could use the company on her walk home from work.  
  
"Hey Apollo!" she said getting his attention.  
  
Turning around Apollo recognized who the voice belonged to.  
  
"Chloe what brings you out this night?" he asked with a smile.  
  
"I was on my way home from work. I saw you and wondered if you'd like to give me some company. What do you say?" she replied.  
  
"Sure why not. Being with you and the others certainly beats the usual crowd." Apollo said.  
  
"Those idiots going through our dumpsters no fun any more?"  
  
"No and there doesn't seem any way to leave them."  
  
"You left them now."  
  
"Yes but they'll eventually find out that I'm gone and come looking for me. And when they do find me they'll end up making a mess out of me."  
  
"What a shame."  
  
********  
  
"Little brother has left the building. Little brother has left the building." Diana yelled as she ran through the halls of the palace.  
  
"Again?" Rini asked as she stuck her head into the hall.  
  
Diana nodded and Rini began to wonder how her best friend knew her brother had snuck out.  
  
"How'd you find out he left?" she asked as she ran after the lunar feline.  
  
"Simple I had him bugged." Came the reply.  
  
"How in the world did you pull that off?"  
  
"I replaced one of his cufflinks with a small tracking device."  
  
"Diana you are a genius." Rini complimented with a giggle.  
  
"Gee thanks."  
  
********  
  
Luna and Artimes were sitting in the palace parlor reading when Diana and Rini came into the room. The look on Rini's face told them Diana was up to something. They knew their daughter all too well and knew that she had some information she was dying to tell them. The smile on her face was a dead giveaway. Diana was dying to let the cat out of the bag.  
  
"Diana what's going on?" Luna asked her daughter.  
  
"It's Apollo mom. He snuck out yet again." Diana told her.  
  
"Gee this is serious. If he can sneak out with the palace guards on extra alert then just think WHO could get in past them." Artimes said to Luna.  
  
"It's not that I'm worried about. It's the strays that has me concern." Luna replied to him.  
  
"I don't see why he still hangs around them." Diana commented.  
  
"I don't either." Rini added.  
  
"Diana how did you know your brother snuck out again?" Artimes asked her.  
  
"I replaced his cufflink with a small tracking device and when he left presto I knew." She explained to her parents.  
  
"Diana you know that was a sneaky thing to do. But I'm glad you did it." Luna said with a sigh.  
  
********  
  
Apollo walked with Chloe to the apartment building where her family lived. The lavish building was a step up from the one Lita used to live in but it wasn't like the one Ami grew up in. As the two friends stopped at the door they smiled and hugged. The walk from the café to the apartment complex was just what they both needed. Chloe needed a bit of company and Apollo needed a friend to talk to. The more he thought about that the more he realized Chloe was one of his true friends.  
  
"Thanks a lot." They said at the same time.  
  
The two friends laughed when they realized what they had done.  
  
"For what?" Apollo asked her.  
  
"For the company. How about you?" she replied.  
  
"For listening to me. I have a lot of problems right now and it feels good to talk to someone other than my family." He told her.  
  
"That's what I'm here for. It's part of the job description as your friend."  
  
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then."  
  
"See you then my friend."  
  
Apollo watched as Chloe walked into the entryway of the building. The doorman opened the door to the lobby and smiled at her. Knowing that his friend was safely home Apollo then decided to continue his walk through the city. He needed to confirm a suspicion running in his mind. He needed to go to the temple on Cherry Hill in the Hikawa district.  
  
Walking past the shops and stores Apollo checked out the nighttime activities. People were having a grand time going from movie theaters to coffee shops and ice cream parlors to sit and talk. Some people even went to nightclubs and karaoke bars to have a bit of fun with friends and loved ones. The human side of him longed for this type of nighttime activity. But the feline side told him all he would ever be able to do was rummage through garbage and beg for scraps.  
  
Stopping at the entrance to the temple Apollo took a deep breath and wondered who might be up at this hour. Looking down at his watch Apollo saw that it was only half past nine. There was a good chance the entire Kumada family would be up. Walking up the temple stairs Apollo went straight to the prayer bells and gave them a ring.  
  
"I've never really done this before." He said to the spirits, "I'm not a religious person. It's not that I don't believe some higher being it's just that I can't believe in one version of that being."  
  
"Listen whoever you are I'm in a bit of a mess right now and I could certainly use some help. For one thing I lack the courage to walk away from the situation I've gotten myself in. And another thing I seem to lack the wisdom to see who my true friends are. If you could help me find that wisdom and that courage it would be most appreciated."  
  
Danni, who happened to be sitting on the porch of the main house, heard the plea for help to the spirits and went to investigate. Placing a makeshift bookmark in her book Danni walked over to the main temple grounds. There she saw someone she had never seen at the temple but clearly recognized.  
  
"So you finally trying the religious thing?" she asked him.  
  
"I just needed someone to talk to. And these guys," Apollo said pointing out the statues, "just happened to be in the right place at the right time."  
  
"That's what they're here for. They're great listeners."  
  
"Well they helped me figure one thing out."  
  
"Oh and what's that?" Danni asked a bit curious.  
  
"They've shown me one of my true friends." He told her.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"You."  
  
"You uh want a real person or two to talk to Apollo?"  
  
"If you're offering then yeah I'd love it."  
  
"Great I'll go get my brother and we can sit out on the porch. It's a great night for it."  
  
Apollo had to admit to himself the mid July night was perfect. The stars were out and there was a warm gentle breeze. And he had to admit to himself that he did have real friends who liked him for who he was and not where he lived.  
  
********  
  
The cats were finished looking through the dumpsters behind the café. Turning to address his followers the orange tabby noticed Apollo was missing from the group. This did not please the plump feline one bit. His meal ticket tried to leave them again and he wasn't going to stand for it. Looking for the lunar feline was going to put a dent in his plans for evening. Then again he could have two of his followers look for the wayward feline while he continued with his plans. Walking over to a pair of Russian Blue Siamese mixes the tabby issued his orders.  
  
"The black crescent has left again. I need you two to find him and teach him a lesson." The tabby commanded through a series of gestures and meows.  
The twin cats folded back their ears and crouched low in a response that told the tabby they understood and would carry out his orders. Then in a flash the sleek gray blue cats were off on the hunt. Apollo, the black crescent, was going to get it.  
  
********  
  
Luna and Artimes were curious as to where their son might be. Diana had pulled out the GPS based receiver and turned it on. The small blip that represented their son appeared on the screen. Pushing the info button Diana got a list of things she could get information on. Selecting the restaurant heading Diana got a list of all the restaurants in the area. One restaurant in particular caught the attention of the group. The Rose Café was on the list on front of them. Diana noted this on a pad of paper and went back to map mode on the GPS.  
  
The blip moved once more heading towards an area that was not too far from the large park in the Juban district of town. The group was curious about this and wondered what it could mean.  
  
"Maybe he ran into Chloe or Nicole and walked them home." Rini suggested grabbing for straws.  
  
The rest of the group agreed with her suggestion and Diana noted it on her pad. The blip stayed stationary for a couple of minutes before beginning to move once more. This time the blip went through the park and into the Hikawa district. The group had a pretty good idea where he was headed.  
  
"I wonder how he knows were the temple is located?" Diana asked.  
  
"It's one of the five crystal points of the city so it's pretty hard not to know where it is." Rini explained to her friend.  
  
"What do you think he could be doing there?" Artimes wondered.  
  
"Maybe he's talking to Eric and Danni. I don't think he'd go there for spiritual enlightenment." Diana told her parents.  
  
"In a situation like his you never know what someone might do." Luna reminded them.  
  
"You know I'm just speculating here but it seems to me not only is he looking for someone to talk to but he could be trying to avoid those cats." Rini added.  
  
"You might be right there Rini. Those cats have not been seen in that area." Artimes replied.  
  
The blip stayed in the area of the temple of some time and the group figured it would be best get back to what they were doing until he moved again. Rini and Diana went to grab a snack from the kitchen while Luna and Artimes went back to reading. This was going to be a long night.  
  
********  
  
Danni had let her parents know Apollo had stopped by to talk before grabbing her brother. Rei and Chad didn't mind visitors to the temple at night as long as they knew who was there. Eric wondered what could be bothering the young feline.  
  
"Hey, what's up?" Eric asked as he sat down on the porch.  
  
"Besides my number not much." Apollo replied.  
  
"What makes you believe that?" Danni wanted to know.  
  
"Well, I have a pretty good reason to believe that someone is going to be out and about looking for me. And if it's not my parents then it's someone I'd rather not see right now." He replied.  
  
"Who would that be?" Eric wanted to know.  
  
"The cats." Apollo said.  
  
Danni and Eric had to think for a moment before figuring out what Apollo meant by his answer.  
  
"Why would they be after you?" Danni asked trying to understand the situation.  
  
"They don't like insubordination. I've seen them do some pretty nasty things to those who try to leave. It's real freaky at times." He explained to them.  
  
"They sound more like the Yakuza than a bunch of strays." Eric commented.  
  
********  
  
Orion woke to the view of the Earth outside the ship. It was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. The blue and green orb that floated in space looked peaceful and calm. The closer he got to the planet the more beautiful it seemed. Upon closer view the surface of the planet looked like it was covered with millions of sparkling diamonds.  
  
Orion put the tiny ship into standard orbit around the planet and turned on the cloaking device. Scanning the surface of the planet he found the perfect place to transport to, a large city made of crystal. Setting in the coordinates Orion went to the transporter and was sent to the surface of the planet.  
  
The crystal city was the most beautiful sight Orion had ever seen. In the center of the city a large structure made entirely out of crystal stood towering over the city. Radiating from the center of the city were five points that, when viewed from above, made the city look like a star. At the entrance to these points were two crystal obelisks that resembled scaled down versions of the Washington Monument. It was amazing to see how advance the inhabitants of the city and the planet were.  
  
"Come on old boy you know better than to act like someone on a sightseeing tour. You have a mission to complete." He said to himself.  
  
Shifting to feline form Orion began his search of the city. He knew he could move ten times faster in feline form than humanoid form. Somewhere in this city was someone could help him defeat Chaos and his loyal follower. Right now he needed all the help he could get.  
  
********  
  
Apollo felt better about himself as he said his good-byes to his friends at the temple. After spending what seemed like a good solid hour talking about his situation and other related things Apollo was ready to go home. He didn't want to deal with the wrath of the orange tabby he affectionately referred to as Big Orange. Big Orange and his gang just weren't his cup of tea anymore.  
  
As Apollo walked along the street he noticed two identical cats running in and out of every back alley in town. Oh this is just great; he thought when he caught sight of the cats. The two nasty looking cats were a part of Big Orange's gang. In fact they were Big Orange's personal hit men. Apollo did not want to run into the twins right now.  
  
One of the twins caught sight of Apollo and looked at him closely. At first it appeared as though he didn't recognize the lunar feline in his humanoid form. But upon closer inspection the light of recognition could be seen in the eyes of the twin on the right.  
  
"That's him, the black crescent!" the right twin motioned to his brother.  
  
"Are you sure it's him?" the left twin questioned with a glance.  
  
"Take a whiff and you'll know it's him." the right one answered sniffing at the air.  
  
The pair of strays sniffed the air catching Apollo's distinct odor. The left twin then got the same look on his face the right one had. Looking from each other to their victim Apollo could tell they were formulating a plan of attack. The twins began pushing Apollo towards a nearby wall. There was no way they were letting him get away.  
  
Apollo thought there was no way to get out of this situation unharmed. He knew these cats would follow Big Orange's orders to the tea. A look of dread came over his face when he heard the loud hissing coming from the twins. Once again Apollo began praying to the spirits to get him out of his current situation. As if his prayers were answered something slammed into the twins knocking them down.  
  
Apollo watched the fight that resulted from the twins' fall. The lone figure that dared to take on Big Orange's cronies overpowered the brothers with ease. The look in his rescuer's eyes had Apollo freaked out. He didn't know what to make of it. The strange buttery yellow cat glared at the twins with blue eyes that glowed like a flashlight shining through a block of ice. The twins took one look at the cat and decided to flee the scene rather than stay and get beaten up.  
  
Apollo nervously and slowly moved towards the feline. Putting his hand out he let the cat get a good whiff of him and see that he was completely harmless. The cat smiled and looked Apollo in the eyes before doing the one thing that surprised him the most, the cat spoke.  
  
"That was a close one." She said, the cat was definitely female.  
  
"You can talk?" Apollo asked her quite shocked at what he heard.  
  
"Not all mystical cats are lunar felines." She explained before she shifted forms.  
  
Apollo was amazed at what he saw. The woman standing before him was exquisite. Her buttery blonde hair fell past her shoulders in cascade of curls and was held in place by a simple silver hairpin. Her blue eyes sparkled like twin lakes in the moonlight and she wore a simple short sleeveless red dress that hugged every curve of her body and black boots.  
  
"So do you have a name to go with that body of yours?" Apollo asked going back into his Mr. Suave routine.  
  
"My name is Gaia what's yours?" she replied running her hand through his black hair.  
  
"Uh...um...it's Apollo." He told her trying to keep his composure.  
  
Up on a nearby rooftop a shadowy figure resembling a cat watched as the scene unfolded itself below him. Swearing under his breath the cat knew he had to do something before Gaia's influence got the best of the lunar feline she was seducing.  
  
"Damn you. You don't know what you're getting yourself into." He said.  
  
Gaia closed the deal by planting a seductive kiss on Apollo's lips leaving him totally speechless.  
  
"I'll see you around tiger." Gaia said as she left the speechless Apollo.  
  
********  
  
Diana sat in the rec room a bit bored as she waited for her bother to start moving again. She didn't mind the break in the action but the thousand year old reruns of Sailor V were getting a bit boring at the moment. She knew every single plot line for every Sailor V episode and movie ever made. It took the surprise out of it to know what happens before it even happened. Changing the channel she caught sight of a Simpsons rerun she thought she hadn't seen yet. And even tough she had seen this particular episode Diana still watched it because it was better than the stale Sailor V show.  
  
The small receiver beeped indicating Apollo was on the move once more. Diana glanced over at the device on the table next to her noting her brother's direction. He was heading back in the direction of the palace. Whatever went on at the temple gave Apollo the idea to come back home. Wow, this is early even for him to be coming home, she thought.  
  
Watching the blip Diana noticed it stop momentarily and then start to move once more. She wondered why he made the brief stop. Checking what was in the area Diana could not see anything that would warrant the stop. This had her a bit puzzled. Figuring there wasn't going to be anything worth watching Diana turned off the GPS and went to talk to her parents.  
  
"Mom dad can I talk to you." Diana said as she went back to the parlor.  
  
"Certainly Diana. What do you need to discuss?" Luna asked.  
  
"Well I don't know what happened tonight but Apollo is headed back to the palace as we speak. I wouldn't try and seek him out at the moment because he has no idea what I did. If he wants to talk to us let him make the decision." Diana told them.  
  
"We understand and thanks for letting us know Diana." Artimes replied as he gave her a hug.  
  
********  
  
Artimes had let the front gate know his son might try and come home without sneaking in. He asked them to let Apollo in without a big deal. Artimes also asked the guards not to let Apollo know they knew he was coming back. He didn't want his son to suspect anything was going on.  
  
Apollo was on cloud nine. He had met the most beautiful girl in his life. He didn't care that she had saved him from being beaten up. He didn't care that she was possibly stronger then he was. All he cared about was that she was interested in him and had given him the most passionate kiss he ever received.  
  
As he walked up to the palace Apollo decided to use the front gate instead of sneaking in. He was in too good a mood to care if he got caught for sneaking out. If he were grounded for life it would be worth it. Much to his surprise the guards didn't make a big deal when he walked up to the gate.  
  
"Mr. Apollo welcome home. I trust you had a good evening." One of the guards said as he grabbed the bill of his hat and gave a nod.  
  
"I had a pretty good night." Apollo replied.  
  
"And what did you do this evening?" the second guard asked.  
  
"I ran into Lady Jupiter's oldest daughter and accompanied her home from work. Then I decided to pop over to the temple on Cherry Hill and spend some time with Lady Mars' twins. I'd say it was a pretty good evening." He told them giving the guards only part of the story.  
  
The guards smiled as Apollo left them to head into the palace. They were happy for him because for once he did not spend any time with the stray cats seen around town.  
  
"It's about time he had some real friends. He needs them right now." The second guard commented to the first.  
  
Apollo was quite surprised to hear what the guard had said. Someone actually cared he was happy. Someone actually wanted to see him with the right kind of friends.  
  
********  
  
Orion ran from rooftop to rooftop following the young lunar feline to his next destination. He had to warn him about Gaia. He had to let him know how dangerous she was and who she served. He couldn't let another lunar feline be taken over by Chaos's darkness. Orion was determined this mission not fail for it meant the fate of the entire galaxy.  
  
Orion stopped and watched the lunar feline enter into the large crystal building at the center of the city. If his information was still right this building was the palace of the Earth king leader of the Crystal Kingdom. He had no idea who the current inhabitants of the building really were. Orion needed to find a way to get inside and warn the inhabitants of the building. They needed to know about Chaos and about Gaia.  
  
It was useless for Orion to try and warn them tonight. They would probably all be asleep by now. Orion decided to wait until morning and see if there was another way into the building besides the front gate. He couldn't run the risk of getting caught by the humans watching over the gate. If they caught him he would fail in his mission and Chaos would reign supreme.  
  
"A little shut eye would be perfect right now." He said with a yawn before drifting off to sleep.  
  
********  
  
Diana walked into the kitchen to grab some breakfast before the others arrived. She noticed her brother sitting on one of the stools near the counter. Upon his face he wore a goofy looking grin. Diana wondered what was on his mind and just what had happened the night before.  
  
"You seem to be in good mood." She said to Apollo.  
  
"Good doesn't even describe it." He told her.  
  
"Really now. You care to let me in on what happened last night little brother."  
  
Diana grabbed a frappacino out of the fridge.  
  
"I met someone. Someone wonderful."  
  
"Okay," Diana began not wanting to let him know what she did, "just when and were did you meet this wonderful individual."  
  
"On my way home after I left the temple on Cherry Hill."  
  
"Go on now. So what's she like?"  
  
"Absolutely amazing she has the most interesting blue eyes, fabulous butter blonde hair, and a body that won't quit. I've never met anyone like her."  
  
"So this means you're swearing off felines."  
  
Diana grabbed an English muffin toasted and buttered it.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then she's a cat."  
  
"Sometimes."  
  
"Then she's a human."  
  
"Sometimes."  
  
"Well, she can't be both because we're the last of our kind."  
  
"But she is. Maybe she's some sort of exotic species but whatever she is she's unlike anything I've ever seen in my entire life."  
  
"Little brother you have got it bad."  
  
********  
  
Orion could feel the warm morning sun beat down on his fur. Waking up from his night of sleep he looked over the city. In the morning light the city was absolutely exquisite, the light bouncing off the buildings catching each facet in just the right way. The city sparkled like a jewel in the sunlight.  
  
As he looked down at the building below Orion could see a vehicle heading towards the palace. He knew from what he saw the prior night that the vehicle would have to stop at the gate. The men watching over the gate were changing shifts. A new set of individuals came to relieve the old ones. Orion devised a plan to get inside the gates and into the building. He figured if he could hang onto the bottom of the vehicle he would get past the gate unnoticed.  
  
Leaping down from the rooftops Orion ran for the stopped vehicle. Running underneath the vehicle Orion grabbed onto the underside of the car. When the vehicle stopped once more Orion let go of the drive shaft and ran off into the shrubs. Checking his surroundings Orion watched as a young woman got out of the car and was greeted by two other young women. Something about one of the young women intrigued Orion. One of them had a tail.  
  
Orion decided to follow the three young women. They were a different bunch. One had corn yellow blonde hair pulled back at the nape of the neck with a red bow. The second had two long pink pigtails done up in such a way that they resembled rabbit ears. And the last one had silvery gray hair with two tiny buns and a matching tail.  
  
The girls, for he figured they were no older than sixteen, looked happy. They giggled and laughed about this and that. They talked about cute guys and which girl they knew had a crush on the most popular guy of the day. It was then the one with the tail mentioned her brother being infatuated with a woman he saw the night before. The others were completely taken by surprise.  
  
"But that's impossible! How can there be another feline like you and your family Diana?" The rabbit haired girl said in denial.  
  
"I don't know how but he claims that's what she is." The girl with the tail told them.  
  
"Wow she must be some woman if she can take his mind off the jerks he normally hangs around with." The blonde commented.  
  
Orion wondered if the brother of the tailed girl was the lunar feline he saw with Gaia the prior night. And if he was those girls needed to be told about her right away. He had to tell someone and they were the perfect candidates.  
Orion followed the girls throughout the palace grounds to a large patio and watched them sit down at a table to drink lemonade. Deciding now was the perfect opportunity to confront the girls Orion leapt from the bushes onto the table. The girls gave out a startled gasp when they saw him land. Turning to face the girl with the tail Orion looked her right in the eye. She was the most beautiful thing he ever saw.  
  
"Oh my god we're not the last ones." She said in complete and utter shock.  
  
********  
  
Orion reveals his true nature to the girls and warns them of Chaos's plan. Rini then begins to question her mother's faith in her and her senshi. Meanwhile, Gaia puts Chaos's plan into motion and recruits Big Orange and his gang of cats to become the soldiers of Chaos. While Apollo tries to go see her against the wishes of his sister. Next on Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training Part Four: Orion's Warring.  



	4. Orion's Warning

In the remaining days of the twentieth century a great evil attacked the Earth. To combat this evil Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi revealed themselves to the entire world. But this battle had its consequences and the Earth became covered in a blanket of ice and snow. One thousand years later Sailor Moon awakens the world through the power of her Silver Crystal. A great city of crystal had arisen in Tokyo during the darkness. The world now looked to this city and its rulers Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymoin to protect the world. The time is twenty-three years after wakening and a new group of Sailor Senshi is about to emerge.  
  
********  
  
"Gaia what has gotten into you?" Orion asked her.  
  
"What has gotten into me? You ask me that little man. I'll tell you what has gotten into me. I have seen my destiny and that destiny is with my lord Chaos. Soon Chaos will reign once more and you can do nothing to stop me." She told him.  
********  
"Diana what's going on?" Luna asked her daughter.  
  
"It's Apollo mom. He snuck out yet again." Diana told her.  
********  
"Why would they be after you?" Danni asked trying to understand the situation.  
  
"They don't like insubordination. I've seen them do some pretty nasty things to those who try to leave. It's real freaky at times." He explained to them.  
  
"They sound more like the Yakuza than a bunch of strays." Eric commented.  
********  
"Damn you. You don't know what you're getting yourself into." He said.  
********  
"Oh my god we're not the last ones." She said in complete and utter shock.  
  
********  
  
Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training  
Part Four: Orion's Warning  
  
********  
  
Orion stared into the eyes of a girl he was positive was a lunar feline. The silvery gray haired girl looked back at him with a look of shock. He could tell she was trying to figure out if he was for real. The comment she made took him by surprise. Weren't there more lunar felines on this planet? Orion intended to get the answer to that question.  
  
"Your brother may be in grave danger." Orion said breaking the silence.  
  
"My brother? What about my baby brother?" she asked still not believing what she saw.  
  
"Are you for real?" the rabbit hair girl wanted to know.  
  
Orion knew he didn't have much time trying to prove his validity. Jumping off the table he quickly shifted into humanoid form and stood before the girls. Orion had green eyes and auburn red hair that hung down to his shoulders. The uniform he wore matched the color of his eyes and had gold buttons and a phaser gun attached to his belt. In humanoid form he had no tail but still retained his crescent.  
  
"Well I guess that answers my question." The pink haired girl said.  
  
"Allow me to introduce myself I am Orion." He said giving a bow at the waist.  
  
"I am pleased to meet you Orion. I am Princess Serenity Lady Serena Usagi Tsukino Chiba of the Moon and Earth Kingdoms. But you can just call me Rini like all my friends do." Rini replied.  
  
"My name's Kari Togashi Princess of Venus and head of Rini's court." Kari told him.  
  
"And my name is Diana their best friend and guardian." Diana added.  
  
"It is a pleasure to meet you all." Orion said.  
  
"What brings you to the Crystal Palace?" Rini asked him.  
  
Orion stopped to think out his answer and pulled out his locket reminding himself of the reason he was on his mission.  
  
"I came here because someone I was following last night happened to come here." He told them.  
  
"Really, who?" Rini asked.  
  
"A male lunar feline with a black tail." Orion replied.  
  
"Apollo? Why were you following my brother?" Diana wanted to know.  
  
"He was seen in the company of a very questionable individual." He said.  
  
"So he was flirting with some girl. He always flirts with some girl." Rini said nonchalantly.  
  
"I don't think you understand. She's connected to a great evil." He tried to explain.  
  
"What kind of evil?" Kari inquired.  
  
Orion gave them only one word for an answer.  
  
"Chaos."  
  
Rini knew she had heard that word used as a name somewhere before. It had something to do with her family history she was certain of it. It also had something to do with the weird behavior around the palace since World Peace Day. Rini was determined to find the answers.  
  
"Oh no it's here and they don't even know it." Rini muttered to herself.  
  
"What's here Rini?" Jenna asked her.  
  
The others had arrived and over heard the conversation.  
  
"Chaos." She told her friends.  
  
"Chaos?" Kerri wondered.  
  
"Look it would be easier if you came with me." She told everyone.  
  
Along the way Rini and Diana got their friends up to speed on the situation.  
  
********  
  
The great library of the Crystal Pace holds thousands upon thousands of books and reference items. It here that any member of the palace staff can come and find a book to read or do some research. Books range from fiction to history. The palace library boasts having the most complete collection of books on mythology from around the world and the Sailor Senshi and the Sailor Wars the library of the Crystal Palace has so many books that they take up three walls from floor to ceiling.  
  
********  
  
Rini began searching through a section of books in one of the immense bookcases. The walls were covered with books. A balcony separated the room into two halves and ran the entire perimeter of the room. Finding one book she needed Rini placed it on a nearby table and began searching once more.  
  
When the second book was found Rini went back to the table where her friends and Orion were seated. Rini thumbed through the two books and opened them to the sections she was looking for. The topics were the same in both books. Rini saw it but the others were a bit confused about her choices in books. They didn't quite see the connection.  
  
"Rini what does a book on Greek Mythology have to do with a book on the history of the Sailor Wars?" Alex asked somewhat confused.  
  
"Plenty. I shall first begin with the Greek Mythology." She said as she picked up the book.  
  
"Chaos he was a being that came before the gods. Some say he was the creator of the Titans and the father of Gaia. Some dispute that claim saying Gaia came after Chaos. If the first claim is true and Chaos is the father of Gaia then he could be considered the grandfather of Zeus."  
  
"The woman your Apollo was with last night her name was Gaia." Orion said sounding distant.  
  
"Hey Rini what does it say about this Gaia chick?" Nikki wanted to know.  
  
"Well it says that Gaia was the wife of Chronos leader of the Titans. She hated Zeus for sending the Titans to Taterous and to get even with the Olympians she committed many acts against them. Two of the most notable were the creation of the Giants and the death of Orion. She had many husbands so I guess she could be a seductress." Rini told them.  
  
"I still don't see what that has to do with the Sailor Wars." Alex said still confused.  
  
"I'm getting to it. Now you all know I went back into the past to do my initial training right. Well shortly after I left for the last time something happened in the past. Three individuals not of this solar system, the Sailor Stars, came to the Earth searching for their princess. You see their star system had been wrecked and ravaged by a nasty individual known as Sailor Galaxia. You see Sailor Galaxia had combated the evils of Chaos and in order to stop him she let the embodiment of disorder and evil enter into her body.  
  
"But something happened and he took over her very being turning her evil. Traveling from one star system to another she destroyed worlds and captured their senshi controlling them by using strange bracelets and taking out their star seeds. Galaxia and her army of Animates came to Earth looking to do just the same but they didn't count on running into Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi. It was the greatest battle they had ever faced. With the help of the Sailor Stars and Galaxia's own heart a little girl called Chibi Chibi they defeated Chaos by spreading his essence throughout the galaxy. That defeat came at a price the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Mask all died." Rini told them.  
  
"Wow." Kari commented.  
  
"So your world has knowledge of Chaos and knows how to defeat him?" Orion asked.  
  
"Yes we do." Danni told him.  
  
Rini stared at the book for a moment and thought about what had been going on in the palace lately. The increased security, the jumpy members of palace intelligence, and the senshi all wanting to practice with their daughters but never telling them why. Rini even thought about the comment Artimes made to Luna the night before. It was the who he was worried about more than the fact that people could even sneak in in the first place.  
  
"They know about this and didn't even bother to tell us." Rini said.  
  
"Don't they trust us?" Annya asked.  
  
"I think they don't want us to ever have to experience death until we're old and gray. No offense there Diana." Kerri told her.  
  
"None taken." Diana replied.  
  
"But we don't even know what we're up against." Michelle reminded the group.  
  
"I do. I know full well what we're up against." Orion told them as he pulled off his locket.  
  
Opening the locket he passed it around to all the girls. Looking at it they began to wonder who the girl in the picture was. The last to see the locket was Diana.  
  
"Who's the girl?" Alex inquired.  
  
"That's Gaia. Remember that face and remember it well." Orion explained.  
  
"I can see why my little brother went gaga over her. She's quite beautiful. So what connection do you have with her?" Diana said handing back the locket.  
  
"She was once my best friend." Orion informed them.  
  
"How can she be a lunar feline when my brother made it clear she wasn't?" Diana probed a bit farther wanting an explanation.  
  
"Because when she became Chaos's loyal follower she gave up who she was and doing that meant giving up the sign of her birth the crescent she once had." Orion began trying to hold back the tears; "She betrayed her ancestors and her people."  
  
********  
  
The senshi gathered once more for another meeting. The subject of the meeting was the same as always Chaos. They were getting tired of waiting for something to happen. They were also getting tired of hiding things from their daughters but they knew it was for the best. They were just plain tired.  
  
The usual tea they had at their meetings was replaced with a good strong coffee. They needed to stay awake and focused. There were too many yawning individuals in the parlor that morning.  
  
"I hate keeping my kids out of the fire room and giving them false reasons why. But last night I didn't have to thanks to Apollo showing up at the temple." Rei said.  
  
"Why was he there?" Luna asked trying not to let them know she knew.  
  
"I guess he was looking to talk to someone." Rei told her.  
  
"So did you find anything in the fire last night?" Mina inquired.  
  
"Nothing. This has me baffled. I should at least get something." Rei replied a bit worried.  
  
"Don't worry about it Setsuna and I haven't gotten anything either." Michiru reassured her.  
  
"That goes the same for me which also means the palace is drawing a blank too." Ami added.  
  
********  
  
Mr. Fugiama was also drinking a good strong brew that morning. Ever since palace intelligence had detected Chaos moving he had been loosing sleep trying to detect the essence once more. Much to his chagrin intelligence had been unable to pick up anything on the scanners. Lady Mercury had politely asked if she could interface her computer with the systems in the control room so that she would know the moment something was detected. She even helped put some extra security measures into the system so the girls wouldn't find out what was going on.  
  
The queen had given him strict orders on that matter. No information concerning Chaos was to leave the control room. And all members of palace intelligence swore by oath not to divulge what they knew and saw in that room. It was hard but they were able to keep things under wraps so far.  
  
The quiet blips and bleeps in the control room were shattered when the door opened and a very angry looking princess stomped into the room. Her court was standing near the door. Mr. Fugiama could tell she was angry about something but he didn't know why. Staring him straight in the eyes the princess began her tirade.  
  
"Alright Fugiama spill it. Tell me what you know about Chaos and don't give me that I have no idea what your talking about routine." She yelled.  
  
"I can't give you that information." He said.  
  
It was at that point Orion and not Rini exploded in anger. Orion grabbed the head of intelligence by the lapels of his jacket and stared down at him.  
  
"Do you have any idea what is at stake here old man? Do you know what you're doing by withholding that information? You've just signed a death warrant for every single being on this planet." Orion said with contempt in his voice.  
  
"H...h...how do you know about Chaos?" Fugiama stuttered in fear.  
  
"I've followed Chaos and his little follower, traitorous wench, to this very planet." He told the Japanese man.  
  
"HE'S HERE?" Fugiama yelled.  
  
"Yes he's here." Rini said calmly.  
  
The entire control room went into a blind panic scrambling to detect anything that remotely resembled Chaos. Orion let Mr. Fugiama, who now feared the wrath of the queen, go so he could rectify his grievous error. A bit calmer than before Orion walked up to one of the control panels and began looking for something that would lead him to Gaia.  
  
"What in Kami's name is he doing?" Fugiama demanded.  
  
"He's trying to help you." Rini said defending lunar feline.  
  
"Damn our records on this world are totally outdated and no good." Orion said pounding his fist on the console before letting loose a string of swear words.  
  
The girls just stared at each other at a loss as what to do.  
  
Diana went over to the console that Orion was using and began working with him the best that she could. Three minutes later the entire room was blaring with the ever-present alarms indicating their target had been found once more.  
  
********  
  
The meeting of the Sailor Senshi was brought to an abrupt halt when Ami's computer began emitting a loud shrill. Everyone in the parlor covered their ears and looked directly at Ami who gave them a why me look. Pulling out the palm top Ami punched a few buttons to silence the shrill before checking what was causing it.  
  
"We need to get to the control room and fast guys." Ami said.  
  
"What? Why?" Serenity wanted to know.  
  
"They've detected Chaos once more. And according to this he slipped in without our knowing it." She explained to them.  
  
"We'd better get there right away." Endymoin told them.  
  
"Great and I thought we were worrying over nothing." Rei muttered.  
  
"Well we aren't anymore." Mina commented.  
  
********  
  
"Can't you shut that thing off." Nikki yelled covering her ears.  
  
"Believe me I'd love too." Orion yelled back.  
  
"Don't worry miss we're working on it." One of the members of intelligence called out.  
  
Nikki began complaining in French so she could throw in a few undetected swear words. It wouldn't look good if one of Rini's court was caught swearing in the palace.  
  
"What did you say young lady?" a now angry Lita yelled to her daughter.  
  
The girls turned around to see their mothers and the king standing at the entrance to the control room. They did not look too pleased to see them there. And to top it off Lita was ready to ground Nikki for the rest of her life.  
  
"Alright young lady you've got some serious explaining to do." Serenity said to her daughter.  
  
"Mom this isn't what you think this is." Rini yelled back.  
  
The alarm system finally stopped wailing and blaring much to the delight of everyone in the room. Serenity stood there glaring at her daughter who answered her glare with a glare of her own. Everyone waited to see who would be the first to explode.  
  
"Holy crap! Does he have a death wish or something?" Diana yelled breaking the silence as she pulled out her GPS receiver that began beeping.  
  
"What's that?" Orion asked her.  
  
"GPS based tracking device. I bugged my brother last night and it looks like he decided to wear the same cufflinks he had on yesterday." She explained showing him the screen.  
  
Rini knew full well what that meant.  
  
"Where'd the little weasel run off to this time?" she wanted to know.  
  
"I don't know but I can certainly bet you I know who he wants to see." Diana told her.  
  
Luna and Artimes thought Diana was talking about the stray cats. Everyone else was a bit confused by her remark because the people he was with last night were now in the control room.  
  
"I knew something like this would happen the way she kissed him last night." Orion commented knowing full well who Diana was referring to.  
  
"SHE WHAT?" Rini and Diana yelled in unison.  
  
"How could he do this? Doesn't he know how dangerous she is? I mean I could care less if she's some ex lunar feline who probably looks great in anything she wears. She's using him as a part of her sick twisted little game." Diana said a mile a minute while pacing the floor.  
  
Kari put two and two together and realized who Apollo's hot babe from the previous night was.  
  
"We gotta do something before the little knucklehead becomes a security risk." She said.  
  
Serenity wondered what her daughter and her friends were talking about and who the strange young man was. She thought she knew everyone in the palace.  
  
"What's going on here?" she demanded to know.  
  
"Sorry mom you won't spill your secret we won't spill ours." Rini said casually.  
  
"Princess this isn't going to help your friend if we act like this." Orion tried to remind her.  
  
"Well then do you mind telling your mother who he is?" Endymoin asked pointing towards Orion.  
Orion knew studying the centuries old data was good for something because the more he looked at Rini's parents the more he recognized them as Princess Serenity and Prince Endymoin from his ancestors' accounts of the Moon Kingdom. He knew he had to introduce himself before things got too out of hand.  
  
"Ma'am, your majesty, my name is Orion. It is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of the daughter of the great Queen Serenity." He said with grace and formality.  
  
"How could he have knowledge of the Silver Millennium I thought all the lunar felines died back then except for Luna and Artimes?" Serenity wondered noticing his crescent.  
  
"Not all lunar felines lived in the sol system during the time of Queen Serenity. We lived throughout the entire galaxy and still do to this very day. We were representatives of the Moon Kingdom." Orion explained to her.  
  
"He's right you know Serena." Luna added.  
  
"Then what brings you here and why did you enlist the aid of my daughter and her court?" Serenity asked him.  
  
"Yes and what does this have to do with my son?" Artimes added.  
  
Orion gave them the same one word answer he gave Rini and her friends.  
  
"Chaos."  
  
********  
  
Apollo had to see her again. Once again he snuck out of the palace and was out in the city. This time however he was not going home until he saw the girl of his dreams. Searching far and wide Apollo looked in every back alley and hiding place he knew. He was determined to see her once more.  
  
Running by one of the queen's old haunts Apollo noticed two familiar figures dash into the alleyway one was a member of Big Orange's gang and the other was Gaia in feline form. Apollo ran after them as fast as he could, he needed to know what was going on. He began to wonder if the twins had blabbed to Big Orange about Gaia. If that was the case Apollo was determined to rescue her.  
  
As Apollo followed them into the alleyway he saw the cats cowering in fear. Even Big Orange himself was backing away from Gaia. There was something about this female that intrigued Apollo and made him want her even more. Apollo waited until Big Orange and his gang had scattered every which way before confronting Gaia.  
  
"Well, well if it isn't the lovely Gaia." He said acting like the world's biggest flirt.  
  
"Tiger you found me." She said acting surprised.  
  
"What were you doing with those jerks?" he wanted to know.  
  
"Making a little proposition. I give them what they want in exchange for what I want." She told him as she nuzzled up to him.  
  
"What could they possibly have that you want?" Apollo asked a bit curious.  
  
"Why you of course you silly." She said before licking his mouth.  
  
Apollo shifted to human form hoping she would follow his lead and do the same. He so much wanted to give her a real honest to goodness kiss on the mouth and not some lick and nuzzle feline thing. Catching on to what he was doing Gaia shifted forms and waited to see what he would do next. True to his feelings Apollo initiated the kiss he was longing to give her. Gaia was enjoying her newest plaything.  
  
"Let's get away from this dirty old place and go somewhere better." She suggested when the finally broke the kiss.  
  
"I know just the place." Apollo replied.  
  
Gaia smiled a sinister little grin everything was going according to plan.  
  
********  
  
"Chaos? How do you know about Chaos?" Setsuna wanted to know.  
  
"That was over a thousand years ago." Hotaru commented.  
  
Once again pulling out his locket Orion reminded himself of the real reason why he accepted the mission he was on. He had to start thinking of her as the traitor and not his friend.  
  
"I was sent here to find and dispose of a traitor to our race. Things became complicated when he became involved with the traitor." Orion explained.  
  
"Who Chaos?" Luna pondered.  
  
"No ma'am your son. The entity known as Chaos was a part of the traitor's life before she came here." Orion explained.  
  
"Why did they send you?" Haruka asked.  
  
"I volunteered to go because I know the traitor better than anyone." He told her.  
  
"What makes you the expert?" Rei asked not believing what she was hearing.  
  
"She is my ex best friend." Orion spat out.  
  
Everyone over the age of twenty-two couldn't believe what they were hearing. First they were told the lunar felines were not a dying race. Then they were told that one of them was allied with Chaos. And somehow the girls found out what was going on and they all seemed unfazed, except for Diana, by what they knew. Things were not going the way they hoped they would. They were hoping to keep their children out of this and now they were right in the middle of it.  
Diana kept staring at the small GPS screen watching the blip that represented her brother move throughout the city. The blip stopped momentarily and then began moving in the direction of the park not too far from the home the queen grew up in. Diana wondered why Apollo was headed for the park.  
  
"Diana you know there's probably a good chance he didn't go looking for her." Rini said.  
  
"If you saw the look on his face this morning you'd know he wanted to see her again." Diana replied to her best friend.  
  
"He was finally successful with all his flirting huh." Jenna commented.  
  
"Let's just say it has something to do with what's on the forehead." Orion remarked as he went back to the console.  
  
"What has he gotten himself into?" Luna said with a distant sound in her voice.  
  
"Girls we need to talk." Serenity said.  
  
"I need some air. I'm going for a walk." Diana announced.  
  
"Not on your own you're not. I'm going with you." Orion told her.  
  
"Why?" she asked him.  
  
"I saw the way you were looking at that little device of yours and I will not have you chasing after them on your own. It's just not safe out there right now." He explained.  
  
"Well if that's the way you feel then by all means tag along." She retorted.  
  
********  
  
Apollo and Gaia had left the alleyway and found a quite spot in the park under a tree. Apollo wasn't going to blow this one. If she was able to get him out of his obligation to Big Orange then she was worth keeping. Looking into her beautiful blue eyes Apollo began to smile. For the first time in his life he knew what his parents and the king and queen must have felt when they first fell in love. Apollo felt like the happiest creature on the face of the Earth. Little did he know his life was in danger.  
  
Gaia faked her best smile for Apollo. She used the one that got everyone to like her. If the plan her master had was going to work she had to get him to trust her completely and totally. Things were going quite well for her. Apollo was putty in her hands.  
  
"So tiger you never told me about yourself." Gaia said.  
  
"That's because you never asked." He replied pouring on all the charm in the world.  
  
"Well I'm asking."  
  
"What do you want to know?"  
  
"Not much where you're from your hopes and dreams just the basics really."  
  
"Well I've lived here in Crystal Tokyo my whole life. As for my dreams those came true the moment I met you."  
  
He's a bigger phony than I am Gaia thought when Apollo made his remarks.  
  
"So which lovely little spot in town do you call home?" she pressed further.  
  
"See that big building in the center of the city. That's were I live." He pointed out.  
  
This is too good, Gaia thought, he's giving me everything I need to know.  
  
Gaia decided to reward Apollo for all his good work and gave him a deeply passionate kiss, which he returned. If she kept this up she would have all the information she needed before unleashing Chaos onto the world in no time.  
  
********  
  
Diana was in a foul mood. She was determined to give her brother a piece of her mind. And so far the way the morning was going Diana was ready to kill someone. Right now what she needed more than anything was some time alone. She didn't want anyone coddling or babying her.  
  
As she walked down the halls of the palace Diana could hear Orion following her. She didn't want anyone following her especially him. In her mind Diana didn't need a babysitter watching over her. She was an adult capable of taking care of herself not some helpless kitten. The anger welling up inside was too much for her to handle she needed to vent and right now the best target was the man behind her.  
  
"Listen you," Diana yelled as she turned around; "I don't need you following me. I am pretty darn well capable of taking care of myself outside the palace walls."  
  
"I don't doubt that you could it's just that I don't want you doing anything irrational." He said through gritted teeth.  
  
"I think you see me as a complication to your precious little mission." She shot back.  
  
"You're not the complication in my mission you never were. It's your hormone driven little brother that became the bump along the way. Once he got involved all the rules were thrown right out the window." Orion replied trying to hold in all his frustrations.  
  
Diana was even more angry and frustrated than when she left the control room. She didn't want to get into a cat fight with someone she was unsure of. She didn't see him as an enemy she just didn't know him. The one thing she was sure of was the fact that Orion was indeed a lunar feline. It was plain as the crescent on his forehead. Diana continued towards the front gate and Orion continued to follow her.  
  
********  
  
Serenity and the others had left the control room and went to the large conference room in the palace. She needed to know what Rini and her friends knew about the current situation. At the moment she was none too pleased with her daughter. The princess had gone into the control room when she was told not to. And to top it off someone she did not know had been messing around with one of the control panels. Serenity wanted answers and she wanted them now.  
  
"I do not know what has been going on here today but your behavior is totally unacceptable." Serenity said as she rubbed the temples of her forehead.  
  
"What you did was unbecoming of your position." Mina added.  
  
"Oh and you guys withholding information from us is becoming of your position?" Kari challenged them.  
  
"That was for your safety." Lita explained.  
  
"I think we can take care of ourselves mother." Nikki said.  
  
"We know that. It's just that we don't think you're ready to face this yet." Haruka explained.  
  
"But how can we know if we're ready if you won't let us try?" Alex argued.  
  
The room grew deftly silent. Alex did have a valid point. The younger senshi would never know what they were capable of if they didn't get actual combat experience. But their mothers had also made a valid point as well. Without more training they would be bound to make mistakes, mistakes that could cost them their lives. The older senshi knew this better than anyone.  
  
"Look you have a valid argument but we have one too." Lita told them.  
  
"Valid argument, you're just being overprotective." Nikki argued.  
  
"We're not trying to be overprotective." Lita reasoned.  
  
That was the last straw for Nikki. Not wanting to get into any more trouble with the queen Nikki began yelling and swearing in French. Rini, who knew conversational French, couldn't believe what she was hearing. The words coming out of Nikki's mouth were some of the worst ones a child could say in front a parent and vice versa.  
  
"Kami help us. I didn't know she even knew those words." Rini whispered to Kari.  
  
"What in the world did she just say?" Kari wanted to know.  
  
Rini whispered a few things into Kari's ear. Kari got a blank look upon her face when she heard the translation of what Nikki was saying. She couldn't believe Lady Jupiter was allowing her daughter to say half of the things she was saying. In fact, the Lady Jupiter was throwing out some pretty good arguments in French back at her daughter.  
  
The queen was pacing back and forth. She was angry, frustrated, and at a loss as what to do next. The entire situation had gotten out of hand. At the moment one of her best friends and her daughter were going at it in French. The way the morning was going it was going to be one of those days.  
  
"STOP IT!" Serenity yelled at the top of her lungs.  
  
The room grew silent once more and Lita and Nikki turned their attention to their queen. The woman who, a thousand years ago would have began bawling and crying looked seriously angry. She looked like she was ready to tear someone's head off.  
  
"Look at you. Arguing and fighting over who knew what and why. This is getting us nowhere. No wonder your guardian left. Now, we're going to talk this over like rational individuals and come to some sort of solution. Kami willing you actually want to talk to each other." The queen said.  
  
********  
  
Diana walked through the enormous park taking in the sights and sounds. People were everywhere enjoying the beautiful summer morning. Looking out at the lake she could see couples in rented rowboats and paddle boats having a grand time. On the paved paths that wound through the park people were walking, running, and riding bikes. Couples and families were scattered throughout the green space having picnics, flying kites, tossing a ball, and simply relaxing. Diana longed to take part in the recreational fun.  
  
Stopping on a path that overlooked the lake Diana began contemplating her brother's situation. A firm yet gentle hand found its way to her shoulder letting Diana know Orion was still following her. The fresh air had helped to calm her down a bit. Diana surprised Orion when she turned around to face him by actually smiling a bit at him. She had over reacted a bit back in the palace when she yelled at him. Diana needed someone to vent her frustrations on and Orion was the perfect target.  
  
"Look I'm sorry for what I did earlier. It was totally uncalled for. I overreacted to the situation. If I should be yelling at anyone it should be my idiot brother and not you." Diana apologized.  
  
"I accept your apology and understand wholeheartedly how you feel at the moment. I went through some of the same feelings you did." Orion replied.  
  
"You don't understand what's happening here though." Diana began, "Apollo seems to gravitate towards troublemakers. First it was the stray cats and now it's her."  
  
"If things are the way you say they are any direct confrontation will only drive him closer to her. You'll just have to keep reminding him you care for him and will always be there. This is one decision he must make on his own." Orion explained.  
  
"I guess your right."  
  
Diana turned around once more to view the life and activity around the lake. It always made her feel better to take in the natural beauty of the area. Looking around to the other side of the lake Diana saw people playing with toy boats, dogs, and each other. Directly across the lake, however, something caught her eye. Upon getting a better look Diana could see her little brother kissing someone. At first Diana thought nothing of it but when she recognized the woman from the picture Orion had shown them her face went completely ashen and blank.  
  
Great big crocodile tears began streaming down Diana's face when she turned around to face Orion. Leaping into him Diana buried herself in his chest soaking his uniform. As Orion put his arms around the weeping female he saw what had caused her to break down in tears. The sight of Gaia and Diana's brother Apollo kissing across the way made him furious. Orion was determined to put an end to it. He was determined to protect the gentle creature he was holding in his arms.  
  
"We'd better get back to the palace. The sun's at its peak and I'm certain the queen has a lot of questions that need answering. Besides I haven't had a bite to eat all morning." Orion suggested.  
  
Diana looked up at Orion, revealing her tear stained face, and nodded in reply. She didn't want to be around the park any more that day.  
  
********  
  
The princess and the younger senshi were in deep trouble. The queen had given them a lengthy lecture on proper procedure and protocol and restricted their privileges and duties for the next three weeks. The individuals gathered on the terrace were silent as they ate their lunch. Helios decided it was best not to press the situation any further and he had to keep Ian and Eric from teasing the girls. The silence was broken when the sound of boots hitting the brick rang through the air.  
  
The girls turned and saw Diana being supported by Orion. The tears that ran down her face had stopped but they left their mark. The girls wondered what had happened to cause Diana to cry. The boys wondered who her companion was.  
  
"Diana what's wrong?" Rini asked her.  
  
"I don't want to talk about it." Came the soft tired reply.  
  
"Look princess she needs a bit to eat and some rest right now." Orion said protectively.  
  
The girls couldn't believe what they were seeing or hearing.  
  
"Rini who is that guy?" Helios wanted to know.  
  
"Yeah sis spill it." Ian demanded.  
  
"That's Orion he's part of the reason we're in this mess." Rini told them.  
  
Orion led Diana to the large table and helped her to her seat. He then put some fruit, salad, and a sandwich on a plate for her to eat. Diana stared at the food on the plate in front of her. Her usual sparkling blue eyes looked dull and glassy and the bright cheery smile was gone from her face. Orion whispered something in her ear before grabbing a sandwich and heading off to the terrace steps.  
  
"Diana are you going to be alright?" Kerri asked her not expecting an answer.  
  
"I'll be fine once I put this whole awful mess behind me." Diana replied quietly.  
  
Orion had finished his lunch when he came back to the table to check on Diana. Diana sat quietly at the table slowly eating while the others talked up a storm. It pained Orion to see her hurting the way she was. Looking at the delicate young lunar feline made Orion realize he was beginning to have feelings towards her, feelings he hadn't felt in a long time.  
  
*********  
  
The day was quite productive. Gaia had left Apollo asleep on the grass under the tree. Ducking behind the tree she reverted back to feline form and began searching the city. The gang of strays had to be somewhere. They would make the perfect little foot soldiers to serve her master Chaos. They wanted to be able to roam the city without being caught and this was the perfect solution to both their problems.  
  
The twins were heading towards the usual meeting place when Gaia caught sight of them. Following the two mixed breed cats Gaia found the secret hiding place of Big Orange and his goons. The abandoned warehouse was the perfect location of a base of operations. And with the orange tabby and his gang under her control Gaia would bring Chaos onto the world in no time.  
Gaia changed back to human form and watched what took place. The cats gathered before Big Orange like loyal followers to a king. They waited for their leader to give the nightly agenda. But before he began the orange tabby caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent.  
  
"There is a stranger among us." He told his followers through the use of a low hiss and growl.  
The cats turned to face Gaia who showed no fear. Starring them down for a few minutes Gaia made her position and her power known. It was then that she felt they were ready to hear her out.  
  
"My fellow felines do you not remember who I am. I am the one who told you I could make it so you would never have to worry about being caught by the authorities of this city ever again." she began, "And I have come to do just that. But doing so requires complete loyalty to my master the great and powerful Chaos. With these special devices you will become the most powerful creatures on the face of this planet. All you have to do is give into the will of Chaos."  
  
The strays looked at each other for a moment taking in what Gaia had told them. To be more powerful than the humans would be a dream come true. Big Orange answered for the entire group letting Gaia know they had accepted her offer.  
  
In a matter of minutes all but two of the strays had been turned into what looked like the feline version of werewolves. The snarling hissing mob before her would follow her every word. They are so dumb, Gaia thought. The two she had spared were soon turned into large viscous felines. The twins were now her hunters ready to rip apart anyone that dared to mess with their mistress. Gaia then addressed her new feline army.  
  
"Soldiers of Chaos you have been chosen because you have dark hearts. Our mission is to search this city and find star seeds. Not just any star seeds but sailor star seeds. Our great lord Chaos needs these star seeds if he is going to rule over this puny little planet. Now go, go and spread chaos upon this land."  
  
********  
  
The army of Chaos begins attacking the city. While in search of star seeds Big Orange and his gang attack the Rose Café. It is then that Nikki gets into her first battle with a little help from her mother. Meanwhile, Orion explores his ever-growing feelings towards Diana who starts to have feelings of her own. Next on Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training Part Five: The First Battle.  



	5. The First Battle

In the remaining days of the twentieth century a great evil attacked the Earth. To combat this evil Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi revealed themselves to the entire world. But this battle had its consequences and the Earth became covered in a blanket of ice and snow. One thousand years later Sailor Moon awakens the world through the power of her Silver Crystal. A great city of crystal had arisen in Tokyo during the darkness. The world now looked to this city and its rulers Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymoin to protect the world. The time is twenty-three years after wakening and a new group of Sailor Senshi is about to emerge.  
********  
"Oh no it's here and they don't even know it." Rini muttered to herself.  
********  
"How can she be a lunar feline when my brother made it clear she wasn't?" Diana probed a bit farther wanting an explanation.  
"Because when she became Chaos's loyal follower she gave up who she was and doing that meant giving up the sign of her birth the crescent she once had." Orion began trying to hold back the tears; "She betrayed her ancestors and her people."  
********  
"Diana you know there's probably a good chance he didn't go looking for her." Rini said.  
"If you saw the look on his face this morning you'd know he wanted to see her again." Diana replied to her best friend.  
********  
"Soldiers of Chaos you have been chosen because you have dark hearts. Our mission is to search this city and find star seeds. Not just any star seeds but sailor star seeds. Our great lord Chaos needs these star seeds if he is going to rule over this puny little planet. Now go, go and spread chaos upon this land."  
  
********  
  
Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training  
Part Five: The First Battle  
  
********  
  
Nikki hated her punishment. Her hands were raw and sore. The combination of the dish soap and the hot water was doing a good number on her hands. The café had an automatic dishwasher but her mother insisted Nikki wash every single dish by hand. Nikki didn't mind helping out in the café she just didn't like washing dishes. The worst part was she was on KP duty at the palace as well as a part of her punishment from the queen.  
  
"Don't I get a break?" Nikki whined.  
  
"Sorry little one. No breaks except to eat and use the ladies room. Your mother was very strict on that point." Jean Paul told his daughter as he chopped some green onion.  
  
"I hate my life." She stated.  
  
"Well you wouldn't be in this mess if you didn't use the language you used. Just be thankful only the princess knows French. If the queen knew what you had said your punishment would have been much worse than it already is."  
  
"Great, here I am working my fingers to the bone and the others got off a lot better than I did."  
"Not so, your mother told me the princess is in just as much trouble as you are."  
  
********  
  
Nikki wasn't the only one being punished by her mother. Kari had received extra chores around the house for her remark to her mother. At the moment the blonde haired girl was forced to hand wash every hard surface in the house. That meant staying on her hands and knees on the entire first floor and doing every single bathroom on the second level. And when her mother meant every hard surface that even included showers, tubs, and spas. Kari was not a happy camper at the moment.  
  
"My aching back." Kari stated trying to get some sympathy from her father.  
  
"Sorry I can't help you there." Akira said not even looking up from his papers.  
  
"Gee dad whose side are you on here?"  
  
"No one's. I chose not to get involved. This is between you and your mother."  
  
"Well could you at least let me use your shiatsu machine when I'm finished?"  
  
"No because then you wouldn't learn anything. Besides your mother said I was not to give you any assistance and even if I could I can't because I have a lot of work to do today."  
  
"Why in the world did I have to open my big fat mouth? I always put my foot in it."  
  
Kari heaved one last heavy sigh before going back to her scrubbing.  
  
********  
  
A week had passed since Orion had come to the palace. Not only was Rini banned from dating and on KP duty with her friends she couldn't leave the palace and she had to write one essay a day on the rules of protocol. Five pages hand written single-spaced each day.  
  
"This is torture." Rini whined sounding much like her mother did at her age.  
  
"Gee who does she remind me of?" Endymoin joked to his wife in the conference room.  
  
"I wasn't that bad." Serenity shot back with a grin.  
  
"There has to be a law against this." Rini said continuing to whine.  
  
"You forget we make the laws." Serenity reminded her daughter.  
  
The king and queen had resigned to doing their paperwork in the conference room so they could keep an eye on their daughter. They knew if they weren't in plain sight of the princess she would procrastinate and even try to sneak out. This was one punishment they were determined to have stick.  
  
Rini was stuck in her train of thought and about to start pounding her head on the table when a knock at the conference room door saved her from utter embarrassment.  
  
"Come in." Endymoin called out.  
  
A very worried looking Luna and Artimes came into the conference room wanting to see the king and queen. Ever since Orion's arrival Apollo had been spending much of his time away from the palace.  
  
"Luna, what's wrong?" Serenity asked her friend.  
  
"He's gone. We've looked everywhere but he's gone. Apollo never came home last night." Luna told her in a state of panic.  
  
"Did he say where he was going last night?" Endymoin wondered.  
  
"No he never tells us where he's going anymore." Artimes replied.  
  
Serenity felt sorry for her friends. She didn't know what she could do to help them. Their family situation had gotten pretty bad.  
  
"Um Luna how's Diana taking this?" Rini wanted to know.  
  
"I don't know. She hasn't been talking to us that much about this situation." Luna said.  
  
"Mom dad would it be alright if I go and check on Diana and see how she's doing? Rini asked.  
  
"You may go but no more than one hour." Serenity told her daughter.  
  
********  
  
Diana paced back and forth in the rec room. She was in the room looking for some peace and quiet on this frantic Saturday morning. Diana had spent a good chunk of her morning helping her parents look for her brother. It was the first time he stayed out all night. This had her worried. She knew he was with his new love interest doing who knows what. Diana was ready to give Apollo a piece of her mind if she ever saw him again.  
  
Orion watched as Diana paced back and forth mumbling things to herself about how her brother was going to be a dead man. Orion had never met Apollo face to face but from what he was hearing he felt the young lunar feline was going to need a good swift kick in the pants. The more Orion saw Diana the way she was the more he wanted to hold her and protect her. Something inside him was telling Orion it was the right thing to do.  
  
"Diana pacing around like that isn't going to bring your brother home any faster." Orion said.  
  
"I know but it makes me feel better." Diana told him.  
  
"Things certainly have been quiet around here since I showed up."  
  
"Everyone is serving time for what they did and said that day."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"The queen has my trainees on KP when they're at the palace. They can't do any training until Queen Serenity feels they've learned their lesson. And most if not all of them are in hot water with their parents who won't end their punishment until the queen does. I'm surprised I didn't get into any trouble with my own parents."  
  
"I think they feel your situation is unique. And besides trying not to rush off and confront your brother is a very hard thing to do which makes it a lesson in itself."  
  
"I never thought of it that way."  
  
Diana began thumbing through the extensive CD collection on the shelves before her. Mixed in with the classical music and show tunes was Rini's collection of J pop and American teen pop from the 20th century. Somewhere buried between the Three Lights and Backstreet Boys albums was the album she was looking for. It was rarity sitting there amongst the teen idols but the Vertical Horizon CD was exactly what Diana needed at this point. Her favorite song always helped to calm her frazzled nerves and right now she needed it more than anything else in the world.  
  
As the music filled the room Diana could hear a knock on the door. Opening the door Diana saw Rini standing on the other side with a look of concern on her face. Diana feigned a weak smile because she knew her best friend in the entire world truly cared about her. And it was her family situation that had gotten Rini and the others into trouble with the queen.  
  
"Diana I heard about Apollo. I'd offer to help but I can't leave the palace other than to go to school. And only then it's with an armed escort." Rini said.  
  
"I understand." Diana answered quietly.  
  
"Has your mother come to forgive me yet princess?" Orion asked Rini.  
  
"She's said very little about the incident in the past week." Rini informed him.  
  
Diana looked up at the small clock on the mantle above the fireplace. As she noted the time Diana realized Apollo had been missing for twenty-four hours. Great big tears began to fall down her tired weary face. Where are you, she thought.  
  
Rini saw the tears falling down her best friend's face. Concern for her lifelong friend dictated she try and comfort the sobbing lunar feline. But before she could even get near her Orion was holding her in his arms. Rini knew the best thing she could do was to leave them alone. Right now Diana needed to be with Orion that it just seemed right that way.  
  
********  
  
Apollo was enjoying every moment of his freedom. He didn't have to answer his mother's questions or live up to his father's expectations. And being in feline form gave him the freedom to go anywhere he wanted. The night had found him once again in Gaia's arms but this time he stayed with her the entire evening. They wandered around the city talking about this and that until they found themselves in the park under the tree that was now their special place.  
  
Spending the entire night away from the palace for the first time felt invigorating to Apollo. The young lunar feline felt as though he was truly important. For the first time in his life Apollo was out of Diana's shadow and he was in love.  
  
The feline next to him didn't care he was Luna and Artimes's son or Diana's brother. All she cared about was the fact that he lived in the palace. She kept asking him questions about the palace staff and the palace guard. And the more questions he answered the more kissing and making out they did. Apollo thought it was all just a game.  
  
Gaia woke from her slumber and left the sleeping Apollo under the Japanese oak. The sleeping palace cat had proven quite useful in giving her an army and information. The time had come to initiate phase one of her plan, capture a sailor star seed. It was time to test her new hunters abilities and now was as good a time as any.  
  
********  
  
After the battle between Sailor Galaxia and Chaos Galaxia went from planet to planet turning their Senshi evil. These evil Senshi became known as the Sailor Animates. The Animates were stripped of their star seeds and given control bracelets to wear. With the control bracelets in place these Senshi became loyal followers of Galaxia and Chaos doing their bidding. These evil Senshi were ordered to search for the star seeds of Senshi on Earth.  
  
It was during this search that Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi met up with the Starlights. These three Senshi, posing as brothers who were also a popular J pop idol group, fought to find their missing princess. With their arrival the Sailor Senshi learned of the existence of other worldly Senshi and the Sailor Star Seeds. Each Senshi and even Tuxedo Mask possessed a Sailor Star Seed connected to their planet.  
  
********  
  
Lunchtime on a Saturday at the Rose Café was usually quite busy. The quiet small crowds seen during the week were replaced with the boisterous sounds of people out enjoying a perfect Saturday afternoon. And with the increase in crowd size came an increase in the number of dirty dishes. The bus boys were instructed to leave all the dirty dishes with Nikki to wash and they knew better than to ask why.  
Nikki was up to her elbows in hot dirty soapy water regretting having ever opened her mouth in front of her mother. As she scrubbed and scrapped the food off of each dish Nikki began mumbling about having to learn another language so she could swear without Lita knowing it.  
  
"Maybe Annya could teach me Russian or Swahili." Nikki thought aloud.  
  
"Learning a new language isn't necessarily the answer." Jean Paul told her.  
  
Nikki turned to face her father.  
  
"Papa can I ask you a simple question?" Nikki said.  
  
"Of course." He replied.  
  
"Does mom have it out for me because I swear she's got you putting only the messiest dishes on the list of specials for the day."  
  
"Your mother does not have it out for you. She's hoping you'll learn something from this experience. She's doing this because she loves you. She didn't have parents to help her through life when she was your age."  
  
"I forget that sometimes." Nikki said as she went back to the dirty dishes.  
  
As Nikki continued with her never ending task a loud crash came from the alley outside the kitchen. Jean Paul who was having just about enough of the stray animals rummaging through the garbage went to confront them. Opening the back door to the restaurant Jean Paul got the shock of his life when he saw a huge cat come bounding towards the door. This was no ordinary stray.  
  
At the same time the cat entered the kitchen screams could be heard from the dinning area of the café. The screams were accompanied by the crash of tables and glass. Another identical cat and an even larger cat like creature were reeking havoc upon the popular café.  
  
The cat in the kitchen began staring at Nikki with the look of a predator who has found its prey. Jean Paul knew he had to do something to protect his baby girl from the creature. Reaching for his heaviest iron skillet Jean Paul whacked the cat in the head getting its attention.  
  
"You want to pick on someone then how about me." Jean Paul challenged leading the cat out of the kitchen away from Nikki.  
  
"Papa no!" Nikki yelled.  
  
Ignoring her wet wrinkled hands Nikki reached into her pocket and pulled out her henshin rod. Whatever was attacking her family's café and her papa was going to pay.  
  
"Jupiter Planet Power!" Nikki called out.  
  
The kitchen became engulfed in electrical energy, which wrapped itself around Nikki. When the last of the visible electrical energy was gone Nikki stood poised and ready to fight as the younger Jupiter.  
  
********  
  
Lita had spent a chunk of her morning running errands here and there. There were things that needed to be done for the café and she needed to get her mind off of the situation with Nikki. Her daughter's punishment was going to stand until Serenity lifted the KP duty off of Rini's court. And until then the whining complaining Nikki would just have to suffer with the rest of them. As Lita got closer to the café something didn't seem right.  
  
The blast of lightning that lit up the café like a Christmas tree was the first thing to catch Lita's attention. As the blast subsided two identical creatures came racing out of the café with what appeared to be large grins on their faces. Lita knew right away something was wrong and someone in her family was in terrible danger. Lita did the one thing she hadn't done in over ten years; she transformed.  
  
Ducking into a nearby alley Lita called forth her henshin rod and called out her transformation phrase turning herself into the elder Jupiter.  
  
"Jupiter Crystal Power!"  
  
The moment the transformation was complete Lita rushed into the café. There in the main dinning room she saw a large cat like creature holding Nikki down by the arms. Not too far from them lay a knocked out Jean Paul. Seeing her family in danger brought forth a great well of anger.  
  
"You leave her alone ugly!" Jupiter yelled.  
  
The creature upon sensing a stronger star seed tossed Nikki aside like a piece of trash and went after Jupiter. The older version of the Senshi that attacked it was going to make a perfect victim.  
  
"Mama no!" Neo Jupiter yelled.  
  
Jupiter let forth her strongest attack at the charging creature.  
  
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"  
  
The oak-based attack weakened the creature enough to slow it down. As the creature regained its composure and senses Jupiter took the opportunity to join her daughter and formulate a plan.  
  
"You're doing good so far daughter. Think you're up for a little monster bashing with your old mother?" Jupiter said.  
  
"You bet mama." Neo Jupiter replied.  
  
"Okay then we're gonna combine our attacks into one. That should destroy this thing."  
  
"Right."  
  
"Jupiter Oak..."  
  
"Jupiter Thunderstorm..."  
  
"Evolution!"  
  
"Crash!"  
  
The combined oak and thunder attacks ripped the creature apart. When it was all over the mother and daughter pair rushed to Jean Paul's side.  
  
"Jean Paul speak to me." Lita said.  
  
"Papa wake up please." Nikki pleaded.  
  
It was at that moment Chloe decided to walk into the café for work.  
  
"Why does this place look like it was torn apart by a tornado?" she asked.  
  
"Chloe help me get your father to the hospital." Lita told her oldest child.  
  
"Oh my god papa! What happened to him?" Chloe wanted to know as she rushed to his side.  
  
"Something attacked the café looking for me or mama, I don't know at the moment, but papa tried to protect me from it." Nikki explained.  
  
********  
  
The news of the attack on the café traveled fast and soon afterward the palace was put on full alert. The royal family made their way to New Tokyo General Hospital to be with Lita and her daughters while they waited for the doctor to finish examining Jean Paul. By the time the royal car pulled up to the hospital the other Senshi and their families were at the hospital. The punishment set down by the queen was temporarily forgotten for the time being.  
  
"Any word on Jean Paul?" Ami asked Lita.  
  
"No the doctor hasn't come out yet. I'm worried." Lita told everyone.  
  
The girls went to comfort Nikki while their parents sat near Lita in the waiting area. Seeing her close friend in tears Kerri sat next to Chloe.  
  
"Why did this have to happen to him?" Chloe asked Kerri.  
  
"Even though he knew Nikki could protect herself your father still wanted to keep her safe from harm. It's what any parent would do for a child. When they are small children parents will place themselves between their child and any danger. But as they get older parents protect them in other ways. Your father was only doing what he saw was necessary at the time." Kerri explained.  
  
Not too far from them Nikki sat trembling in fear. Rini held the taller Senshi in her arms and let the Senshi of thunder cry her eyes out. If anyone knew what Nikki was going through it was Rini.  
  
"It was horrible. By the time I got out of the kitchen he was on the floor out like a light. Then that thing pinned me down. I don't know what it was after but the way it looked at me had me frozen in fear." Nikki said between sobs.  
  
"I know. I know. It's all over now. Everything is going to be alright." Rini said soothingly.  
  
From a corner of the small crowded waiting room Helios, Diana, and Orion watched as Rini comforted her friend. Helios could see why he loved Rini so much. She was always there for her friends no matter what the circumstances. She was just like her mother.  
  
The door between the exam rooms and the waiting room opened. Every pair of eyes in the room were focused on the petit demure doctor standing before them. She was the one member of the assembled group not in the room. Going over to Lita the once frail tiny Dr. Hotaru Tomoe Pietre prepared to give her friend the news.  
  
"Lita, Jean Paul is resting comfortably and you can see him now. After running a series of x-rays and neurological scans I've come to the conclusion that he suffered a mild concussion. Though I would like to keep him over night for observation." Hotaru told her.  
  
"I understand." Lita replied.  
  
"Doctor can Nicole and I see him too?" Chloe asked Hotaru.  
  
"Well I would like to see your sister for a moment but you can go with your mother. I don't want too many visitors in there at one time." Hotaru said.  
  
"Why do you need to see me?" Nikki wondered.  
  
"I just need to run a couple of tests. Ami I'll need your help please." Hotaru explained.  
  
"I'd be glad to help." Ami said.  
  
********  
  
Lita and Chloe walked into the room where Jean Paul was being kept. The patriarch of the Morne family smiled when he saw his wife and daughter walk over to him. The little girl he cared for so much was all grown up now but whenever he looked into her eyes he saw the fragile preemie he used to cuddle and protect. Now the twenty-two year old was about to start her first day of grad school soon so she could earn a masters degree in journalism. And between going to school, working at the restaurant, and writing reviews for a small local paper Chloe lead a full life.  
  
"Hey you." Lita said lovingly as she bent over to give him a kiss.  
  
"I am so stupid Lita." Jean Paul replied.  
  
"You're not stupid papa. You did what you thought was the right thing." Chloe reassured him.  
  
"Jean Paul next time leave the big ugly things to me." Lita said.  
  
"I promise no more stepping on your territory." Jean Paul replied with a smile.  
  
The smile on Jean Paul's face vanished when he saw Nikki was not in the room. The concern he had for his younger daughter returned.  
  
"Lita is Nicole alright?" he asked his wife.  
  
"Nikki's fine Jean Paul. Hotaru and Ami are just making certain she wasn't hurt in the attack." Lita told Jean Paul.  
  
********  
  
"What did you need me for Hotaru?" Ami asked the younger doctor.  
  
"I need you to scan Nikki to make certain it's still there." Hotaru told her.  
  
Ami knew full well what Hotaru meant. The younger doctor wanted her friend and mentor to make certain Nikki's star seed was still inside her body. Without it the younger Jupiter could be turned against the princess and the other members of her court becoming an Animate.  
  
Ami pulled out her computer and punched in a few commands initiating the scan. The scan showed Nikki still had her star seed inside her. Upon receiving this information Ami breathed a sigh of relief. The girls were safe for now.  
  
"What did you just do Dr. Urwa?" Nikki asked.  
  
"I ran a scan with my computer to make certain nothing was taken or damaged in the attack." Ami explained to the confused Neo Senshi.  
  
"What do I have worth taking?" Nikki asked the two doctors.  
  
"Your star seed." Hotaru told her.  
  
********  
  
The younger Senshi sat in the waiting room with their parents waiting to see if Nikki was alright. The attack on the café had every Senshi mother and daughter worried. The attack even had Diana and Orion concerned as well. Orion knew Gaia had made her first move. Diana however, began to wonder if Apollo had told Gaia about Lita and Nikki being the Senshi of Jupiter.  
  
"There is no doubt Chaos is making himself known." Orion said.  
  
"What if Apollo had something to do with this? What if he told her who Lita and Nikki really are? What if she's using him to get to us?" Diana asked franticly.  
  
"I don't know what her plans are for your brother but we have to do what we can to get him to see how dangerous she is." Orion told her.  
  
********  
  
Gaia listened to what the twins had to say. The news was not good. The twins had told her through a series of mews, growls, and body language that they found many star seeds. Two of them happened to belong to a pair of Sailor Senshi a mother and her 'kitten' as they called the child. The child was strong but the mother was stronger and together they were unstoppable. The creature sent by Gaia became another addition to the ever-growing numbers of youma destroyed by the Sailor Senshi.  
  
"Those idiotic cats can't get anything right. They had a Sailor Star Seed within their grasp and they couldn't even get it. I need those Senshi and I need them fast if I am to release chaos on the world." Gaia said quite irritated.  
  
Turning to the creature that was once Big Orange Gaia gave him her ultimatum.  
  
"Listen you I gave you and your pack of idiots power beyond your wildest dreams. Either you learn to use that power or so help me I will take it away from you." She told the creature.  
  
"Yes mistress we won't fail you" Big Orange replied through his body language.  
  
********  
  
Summer beak ends and the Neo Senshi and their friends are back in school. Life in Juban High gets turned upside down when a member of Big Orange's gang attacks the school looking for Star Seeds. The Neo Senshi have their first battle together as a team. Meanwhile Luna and Artimes take the first step to getting Apollo away from the influences of Gaia by enrolling him with Diana in Juban High. Next time on Sailor Moon Senshi in Training Part Six: Schoolyard Bullies.  



	6. Schoolyard Bullies

In the remaining days of the twentieth century a great evil attacked the Earth. To combat this evil Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi revealed themselves to the entire world. But this battle had its consequences and the Earth became covered in a blanket of ice and snow. One thousand years later Sailor Moon awakens the world through the power of her Silver Crystal. A great city of crystal had arisen in Tokyo during the darkness. The world now looked to this city and its rulers Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymoin to protect the world. The time is twenty-three years after wakening and a new group of Sailor Senshi is about to emerge.  
********  
  
"Luna, what's wrong?"  
  
"He's gone. We've looked everywhere but he's gone. Apollo never came home last night."  
********  
"Has your mother come to forgive me yet princess?"  
"She's said very little about the incident in the past week."  
********  
"I ran a scan with my computer to make certain nothing was taken or damaged in the attack."  
  
"What do I have worth taking?"  
  
"Your star seed."  
  
********  
  
Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training  
Part Six: Schoolyard Bullies  
  
********  
  
The weeks went by slowly. In addition to her regular punishment Rini had to prepare to return to school the next week. There were supplies to get and uniforms to get fitted for plus a lot of forms to fill out. Rini wasn't looking forward to another year at what she called Snob Central the Yinkari Institute. Yinkari was a private school that only rich politically connected families could afford. And a lot of the dignitaries sent their children to Yinkari, which made it worse.  
  
At Yinkari Rini was expected to act a certain way because she was the daughter of the king and queen. She was expected to get perfect grades and have perfect manners. And she was expected to perform certain favors for some of the students. At Yinkari Rini was known as Princess Serena. People couldn't see past her title and the teachers gave her special treatment because of it.  
  
Now as school drew near Rini was beginning to dread going back. She was sick of the false friends and the teachers who didn't treat her like a normal student. All Rini ever wanted was a chance to prove she could make it without the titles and position in life. But it looked like she would never get that chance because everyone in the palace all believed Yinkari was the best environment for her and Ian.  
  
"Serena would you come here please. Your uniform arrived today and I want you to try it on." Serenity called to her daughter.  
  
"Yes mom." Rini said less than enthusiastic.  
  
"Not too thrilled to be returning to school?" Helios asked her.  
  
"No I just don't want to go to back to Yinkari. They're all a bunch of snobs." Rini told him.  
  
"I have a feeling something good is about to happen today." Helios said with a smile.  
  
"I hope you're right." Rini replied.  
  
********  
  
Something good was indeed going to happen. The uniforms that arrived were not for Yinkari but the Juban schools. There were three for Juban High and one Juban Junior High. And two of those uniforms were going to go to a brother and sister act that had never had schooling outside their home.  
  
Luna and Artimes were determined to turn their son's life around. In their minds they felt the best thing for their son was to be around individuals his own age. And the best place to be around people his age would be in a high school. They even thought Diana would benefit from the experience.  
  
It took Serenity and Endymoin by surprise when Luna and Artimes told them about their decision. They thought it would be the right thing for the young lunar felines. And Diana and Apollo interacting with people their own age would benefit both of them. Maybe the strict discipline of a teacher was what Apollo needed to help turn his life around.  
  
"Well how do I look?" Diana asked her mother and the queen.  
  
"Like a real high school student Diana." Serenity replied.  
  
"You look wonderful." Luna said trying to hold back the tears.  
  
Rini slowly trudged into the room a minute later with a less than enthusiastic look on her face. Diana could tell Rini didn't want to try on her school uniform one bit.  
  
"Serena the box with your uniform is on the table over there." Serenity informed her daughter.  
  
Rini opened the box and instead of seeing the stuffy red blazer and straight stiff skirt of Yinkari Rini saw a white shirt trimmed in blue and red with a pleated navy blue skirt. Rini was a bit puzzled by this and wondered what was going on.  
  
"Mom this isn't the uniform I'm supposed to wear." Rini said.  
  
"It is if you're to be attending Juban High with Diana and Apollo." Serenity told her.  
  
"You mean I'm not going to be going back to Yinkari?" Rini wanted to know.  
  
"Not after you've just met a wonderful group of friends. Five of them will be attending Juban High with you." Her mother replied.  
  
"Who mom?" Rini asked.  
  
"Everyone but Eric, Danni, and Annya attends Juban High." Luna told her.  
  
"Mother where do they go?" Diana inquired.  
  
"Annya is in Juban Junior High School with Ian. And Eric and Danni attend TA." Luna said.  
  
Rini thought about what her mother and Luna had told her. She wondered why her parents were transferring her and Ian. And she wanted to know why Luna and Artimes were enrolling Diana and Apollo in an actual school instead of having them tutored at home like always. It puzzled her why both sets of parents would do this.  
  
"I don't get it mom why are we going to Juban?" Rini asked.  
  
"The four of us decided the four of you would benefit from some interaction with children who aren't connected to the palace politically." Serenity said.  
  
"But the others are members of my court." Rini reminded her mother.  
  
"Not in the halls of Juban. They've been attending public school their entire lives." Luna told her.  
  
"It's time we gave the four of you a chance at a normal childhood for once." Serenity added.  
  
"Again?" Rini commented.  
  
********  
  
In Japan all children from kindergarten to the last year of high school wear uniforms. The girls' uniform usually consists of a skirt and a shirt with a sailor styled collar and a bow. Most shirts are white with the collar, bow, and skirt being the same color. Each school has its own unique set of colors to distinguish one student from another. High school uniforms have darker colors than junior high uniforms. Boys' uniforms normally consist of pants and jacket with a white shirt. Most of the time the jacket will be a blazer with a tie. Some schools however forgo the tie and have a jacket with a banded collar instead.  
  
********  
  
Nikki zipped along the streets of Tokyo on her bike trying to avoid the Monday morning rush of students. There was no way she was going to be late on her first day back from summer break. And right now school looked a lot better than the pile of dirty dishes that took up the last part of her summer vacation. At home every night was her night to do the dishes. It was worse at the café and the palace because the number of dishes she had to scrape and scrub tripled. Nikki was glad to be away from the dishes.  
  
As Nikki peddled faster the building that made up Juban High School came into view. Outside the large building people waited for the official start of the new session mingling with one another. Some were seated on benches while others stood around various parts of the schoolyard. And Nikki could tell from their body language they were passing around some juicy gossip.  
  
Nikki pulled her bike into the bike rack and began putting the u lock on it. As Nikki was putting the lock through the rack she saw two pairs of feet stopped in front of her. She could tell from the shoes they belonged to her friends Sakura and Momoko. Sakura was known as the world's biggest gossip. And people who knew her father would say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Momoko was Sakura's best friend and some would say she was Sakura's lackey and gofer.  
  
"Alright Sakura what's up?" Nikki asked as she stood up.  
  
"Popular rumor has it we're getting three new students this session." Sakura said.  
  
"Yeah and get this one of them is a transfer from the Yinkari Institute." Momoko added.  
  
"Gee Sakura what'd you do last night hack into the school files or just talk to your sources in that on line chat room. Then again maybe you did both." Nikki said sarcastically.  
  
"Can I help it if I have to have thorough reports when I get wind of some juicy gossip." Sakura commented to her friends.  
  
"So what's the scoop on the other two?" Nikki asked.  
  
"Home schooled. They're a brother and sister pair and even though he's younger than her by a year he's going to be in our class." Sakura reported.  
  
It was at that point a pair of female students walked up to Nikki and her friends. One was a blonde and the other had long sea green hair. The girls smiled at Nikki.  
  
"Nikki Morne fancy seeing you here." the blonde said.  
  
"I didn't realize you and Michelle went to Juban Alex." Nikki replied.  
  
"So how are your hands holding up?" Michelle asked her.  
  
"Sore and raw. Do you guys know if Annya speaks Swahili at all?" Nikki told them.  
  
"I don't know if she remembers any of it. She was only three when she came back to Japan from Africa." Alex explained.  
  
Sakura and Momoko were a bit in the dark about what Nikki and the other girls were talking about. The blank stares on their faces were quite obvious that they were confused.  
  
"I got into trouble with my mom for swearing in French. I need to learn a language she doesn't know and a friend of Alex and Michelle's is Russian and might know Swahili too." Nikki explained.  
  
"That explains a lot. So did you two hear about the new students?" Sakura said absorbing the new juicy bit of information on her friend.  
  
"Not other than what's being tossed around the schoolyard." Alex replied as the girls left the bike rack to find a place to sit.  
  
********  
  
Rini had huge butterflies in her stomach. As she walked along the streets of Tokyo with her father, Ian, Diana, Luna, Artimes, and a less than happy Apollo Rini began to wonder if she'd make any new friends. Transferring schools was tough enough but going to the gossip filled world of public school was even harder. Rini looked over to her father and her best friend for reassurance. Endymoin gave his daughter a smile telling her everything would be alright.  
  
The building that was Juban High loomed over the street. It looked inviting enough and Rini and Diana could see a lot of students standing around talking to one another in the schoolyard. Apollo just rolled his eyes and leaned against the entrance. He couldn't see why his parents were making him go to a human school when he could be with Gaia.  
  
"Well Serena this is where we part ways. I want you to make lots of friends and listen to your teachers." Endymoin told his daughter.  
  
"I will dad. And Ian good luck little brother." Rini said.  
  
"You too sis." Ian replied.  
  
Luna and Artimes also had some words of encouragement for their children.  
  
"Diana I want you to keep an eye on your brother and listen to your sensei." Luna said.  
  
"You can count on me mom." Diana replied.  
  
"Apollo please try and make some friends here." Artimes told his son.  
  
"Whatever." Apollo said with little enthusiasm.  
  
"Well we'd better get your brother to school before he's late." Endymoin said as the others left.  
  
Apollo slumped off to be by himself under one of the trees in the schoolyard. Rini and Diana looked at each other and rolled their eyes. In their minds Apollo was becoming a lost cause.  
  
Looking around the schoolyard Rini caught sight of Nikki sitting with Alex and Michelle and two girls she didn't recognize. Off to one side by herself was Jenna with her head buried in a book and a small computer on her lap that looked like Ami's. And walking over to Nikki and the other girls was Kari. Rini decided to wait a few minutes to see what developed.  
  
********  
  
Nikki and her friends were talking about this and that when Kari came up to her. The blonde haired teen knew this was the perfect opportunity to throw in some friendly teasing about the incident at the palace. Kari wasn't about to let her live this one down.  
  
"Hey Nikki did you mother have your mouth declared a lethal weapon yet?" Kari joked.  
  
"Funny Kari real funny." Nikki said not very thrilled by her comment.  
  
"Hey you can't blame a girl for trying." Kari remarked, "But seriously I have it on good authority that one of our new students is a real troublemaker."  
  
Sakura began looking like a dog that's found the world's largest soup bone. The newest piece of information was the juiciest piece yet. And Sakura thrived on gossip.  
  
"Oh this is just too good." Sakura commented.  
  
"Maybe that's why his parents stopped home schooling him." Momoko added.  
  
Kari wasn't too interested in continuing the conversation about the new students and decided to change the subject when she saw Jenna off by herself.  
  
"Hey Nikki what's Jenna doing over there?" Kari wondered.  
  
"Why would a fashion plate like you be interested in the school brain?" Sakura asked.  
  
"Just curious. And who says I'm a fashion plate?" Kari replied.  
  
"We have our sources. The same ones that say Jenna Urwa over there has no friends and cares only about her grades and her books." Momoko explained.  
  
"Maybe she'd have friends if people like you didn't always put her down." Kari said as she went to sit next to Jenna.  
  
Michelle and Alex looked at each other and smiled. They knew Kari was doing the right thing. It was hard sometimes for people to go against the popular opinion and Kari was doing just that.  
  
As the girls sat in silence waiting for the principal to officially start the new term Nikki felt someone whispering into her ear.  
  
"Bonjour Nicole." The girl said in a singsong tone.  
  
Nikki slowly turned around to see none other than Rini and Diana standing behind her. Rini had a playful smile on her face and Diana was looking over at Kari and Jenna. Diana was proud of Kari for going over and spending time with Jenna.  
  
"Rini what are you doing here? I thought you didn't attend public school." Nikki asked her.  
  
"Yinkari is nothing but a breeding ground for money grubbing socialite snobs. Besides mom wanted me to have a normal high school life." Rini told her.  
  
The moment Sakura heard Rini used to go to Yinkari she got a big grin on her face. She had another target. The fashion plate, the brain, and now the Yinkari snob. This was going to be a good term for gossip and social outcasts. Turning around to face Rini Sakura gave the princess her opinion of her.  
  
"You know people are saying you're nothing but a spoiled little Yinkari snob and I happen to agree with them." Sakura said.  
  
"Sakura that's not a nice thing to say you know." Nikki told her friend.  
  
Rini could tell Sakura was the school gossip and remembered one from her mother's high school days when she went back in time for Senshi training who was just as bad. Rini began to wonder if this particular person was the daughter of the gossip that her mother wasn't too fond of.  
  
"Nikki what's Sakura's last name?" Rini asked.  
  
"Gurio why?" Nikki replied.  
  
When Rini heard Sakura's last name she was one hundred percent certain she was the daughter of one Melvin Gurio world-class gossip and Internet lover. With that information Rini began speaking to Nikki in French a mile a minute.  
  
"Nikki how can you hang around someone like that? She's just as bad as her father if not worse." Rini asked her in French.  
  
"I don't go along with half of the things she says Rini but she is my friend." Nikki replied.  
  
"Well just remember you're a member of the royal court now and a senshi. And as a senshi you have to stick by your teammates." Rini said.  
  
"Oui." Nikki replied.  
  
With their conversation over Rini and Nikki resumed using English for the benefit of everyone gathered on the bench. Rini continued to give Sakura an icy stare.  
  
"I left Yinkari for this?" Rini asked Diana.  
  
"There has to be a lesson in this Rini. There has to be a reason your mother wanted you to go here." Diana told her.  
  
********  
  
Morning assembly at Juban High School is an important part of the day. Here the principal reads the announcements for the day and various teachers and clubs are allowed to make their own announcements. It is during morning assembly that the students of Juban High begin to focus on the day ahead. The outside world vanishes as students prepare for the day ahead.  
  
********  
  
The bell rang for morning assembly. The students in the schoolyard made their way to the assembly platform to listen to the morning announcements. The principal was going to have a lot to say to the students of Juban High on this day. With three new students and a new term the principal had his hands full. Walking onto the platform the principal began the morning assembly.  
  
"Good morning students. We have a lot to go over this morning before we begin classes so let's get started." He began, "Our first order of business is the introduction of three new students to Juban. I'd like you to meet Serena Tsukino Chiba and Diana and Apollo Mau. Now I want each and every one of you to make them feel welcome here at Juban. Try and look past what you've been hearing about them and focus on who they truly are.  
  
"Secondly since today marks the beginning of a new term club sign up sheets will be posted on the main bulletin board. Please try and sign up for something. And now Coach Nakamura would like to address the students. Coach."  
  
"Thank you principal Kubiashi. I want to announce that volleyball tryouts for this year's team will take place this Friday. I look forward to seeing a good turn out for both the men's and women's team." The coach announced.  
  
"Thank you Coach Nakamura. This concludes today's assembly."  
  
********  
  
The bell rang signaling the beginning of homeroom. The students in class two section three took their seats and waited for Takahashi-sensei to arrive. The sensei entered the room a few minutes later with two new students. The other students in the room looked at the two girls. One had pink hair with rabbit ear shaped buns and pigtails and the other had gray hair with four small buns and a tail.  
  
"Alright class before we begin I would like to introduce you to two new students joining our class this term." The sensei announced.  
  
The students stared at the two strange new students. They began wondering which one was the transfer from Yinkari and which one had the brother. The new students were odd enough in their own right and this class was about to find out if the gossip they were hearing from Sakura was true or not.  
  
"Quiet down class." The sensei began, "I'd like to introduce you to our first new student Serena Tsukino Chiba. Serena would you like to tell us something about yourself."  
  
Rini took a look around the classroom. The students seemed friendly enough and there was no sign of Sakura and Momoko anywhere in the room. And as Rini continued to survey the class she saw that Nikki and Kari were in her homeroom as well. Taking a deep breath Rini addressed the students.  
  
"As you know my name is Serena Tsukino Chiba but I prefer to go by the name Rini. Before coming here to Juban I used to attend Yinkari. I'm sixteen and I have one brother who turned thirteen this month and a boyfriend." Rini said to the class.  
  
"Thank you Chiba-san. Our second new student this term is Diana Mau. Dina would you like to introduce yourself to the class." The sensei said.  
  
"Thank you sensei. My name is Diana Mau and I too am sixteen. Before coming to Juban my brother Apollo and I were schooled at home. My hair has always been gray and has never once been colored. And yes this is a real tail." Diana told them.  
  
"Thank you Mau-san. Chiba-san you can sit in the seat next to Togashi-san and Mau-san there is another seat near Morne-san."  
  
Rini and Diana took their seats next to Kari and Nikki.  
  
********  
  
Apollo wasn't enjoying himself very much. The sensei had subjected him to stand in front of a class that included one of his sister's trainees Alex Ten'oh. The dark haired blonde had given Apollo a challenging look that dared him to stay in the class for the entire day. Apollo was up for a good challenge he just didn't want one when he had better things to do.  
  
It seemed as though Alex was the only one in the class taking Apollo seriously. The other students were too busy forming opinions about him based on the gossip being thrown around by Sakura. Alex knew this was a bunch of hooey and Apollo was just a good kid at heart that had been lead astray by some bad influences.  
  
********  
  
The twins watched the building with a lot of interest. There were star seeds in there and lots of them and one of them was the sailor star seed they had sensed at the café. After a few minutes of watching the building and the empty yard the doors to the school opened. Students filed out of the building carrying small sacks and pouches and books. One by one the students found places to sit on benches and under trees dotting the schoolyard and breaking off into small groups. One student sat alone in a tree but the twins didn't seem to care or even notice.  
  
"You've done well my pets." A voice said from behind, "When the time is right we will get that sailor star seed and make her one of us."  
  
********  
  
Rini and Diana were glad lunch had finally arrived. Diana was worried about Apollo and wanted to talk to him in the worst way. She didn't want him getting into any trouble their first day in a real human school. Rini on the other hand wanted to talk to Nikki and the others about Sakura. She couldn't see why they liked someone who clearly judged and labeled every single person in the school.  
  
"Rini Diana over here!" Kari called out.  
  
Rini could see Kari and Jenna sitting under one of the trees in the schoolyard looking over what appeared to be a small thick book. Taking Diana by the hand Rini lead her to the tree and the only other sensible Senshi attending Juban High.  
  
"Hey guys what's up?" Rini asked them.  
  
"We're just trying to figure out Jenna's new little toy her father designed." Kari explained.  
  
"That micro computer will come in handy during battles Jenna. In fact, your mother still uses hers for practically everything." Diana said.  
  
"I hate to be a party pooper but has anyone seen Nikki?" Rini asked.  
  
"I saw her being pulled off by Alex and Michelle and they didn't look too thrilled with her. Why?" Jenna told the others.  
  
"I think she needs a talking to about her so called friends Sakura and her flunky Momoko." Rini said choking out the names of the gossip and her sidekick.  
  
It was at that moment Alex and Michelle dragged Nikki over to the Japanese maple where the girls were seated having their lunch. Nikki didn't look too pleased and Alex had a huge grin on her face.  
  
"This is just great Alex. Now Sakura is going to think I stood her up." Nikki complained.  
  
"It's like we said before Nikki you need to spend some time away from her. Do you want to turn into Mr. Sourpuss over there?" Alex said pointing out Apollo.  
  
Nikki hadn't thought about that possibility. Apollo was sitting off by himself in a tree alienating his family and any potential friends he could possibly have all because he fell in with the wrong crowd. And now he was mixed up in who knows what all because he didn't have the right kind of friends.  
  
"I know Sakura wouldn't do the kind of things whatever his new crush is doing but I did let her make fun of both Kari and Jenna. Can you guys ever forgive me." Nikki said.  
  
"I think I can. What about you Kari?" Jenna replied.  
  
"I can but only on one condition." Kari told her.  
  
"Name it." Nikki said.  
  
"No hanging around her for three months." Kari announced.  
  
"Are you nuts?" Nikki asked.  
  
"I think that's a fair deal. Besides three months is how long it will take before she forgets about the three of us the snob, the brain, and the fashion plate." Rini said.  
  
"Oh alright I'll do it." Nikki conceded.  
  
With that bridge crossed Diana was ready to get down to some serious business concerning the creature that attacked the Rose Café. It was taking a while but Lita and Jean Paul were getting things back in order. Diana knew this was a Senshi matter if she ever saw one. But when she was about to bring up the subject Nikki began slowly backing away from the group with a look of sheer terror on her face.  
  
"Uh guys I don't want to alarm you or anything but those things found me again." Nikki said.  
  
"This calls for the Senshi. And remember the number one rule." Diana told them.  
  
"Hai! You ready guys?" Rini said.  
  
"Ready." The others replied.  
  
The girls ducked around a nearby corner of the building and pulled out their henshin devices.  
  
"This is it everybody our first battle as a team. We may not have a full compliment without Mars, Pluto, and Saturn but I think we can take him." Rini said.  
  
Raising their rods in the air the girls called out their henshin phrases.  
  
"Mercury Planet Power!"  
  
"Jupiter Planet Power!"  
  
"Venus Planet Power!"  
  
"Neptune Planet Power!"  
  
"Uranus Planet Power!"  
  
"Moon Crisis Power!"  
  
When the transformations were over the six Sailor Senshi stood ready for battle.  
  
"Well what's our first move oh great and powerful leader?" Venus wanted to know.  
  
"I don't know. Any suggestions?" Sailor Moon replied.  
  
"I could scan the creature for any weaknesses while the rest of you hit it with everything you have." Jenna suggested.  
  
"Sounds good to me." Uranus said.  
  
With that the Senshi prepared to face the creature as a team.  
  
********  
  
The moment the girls left to transform Diana went to find Apollo. She knew Apollo would use the chaos and confusion in the schoolyard to try and ditch his afternoon classes to find his new girlfriend. As she looked over to where Apollo was Diana could see her brother trying to leave the schoolyard. Diana was not about to let him mess things up.  
  
"Are you crazy!" Diana yelled at Apollo.  
  
"I don't see why I have to stay in this place." Apollo argued.  
  
"Don't you even remember what mother said to you last night? She wants you to start making some real friends here."  
  
"I know what people here think of me. Well if they don't want me around then so be it."  
  
Diana was about to jump her brother and pin him down when the creature attacking the schoolyard caught sight of them and advanced towards them. A glimmer of recognition flashed across its face when it realized just who one of the brother and sister pair was. Its target was no longer the person with the Sailor Star Seed but the lunar feline who had tried to ditch the gang the night Gaia showed up.  
  
"This is just great!" Apollo yelled.  
  
"What?" Diana asked him.  
  
"That thing knows me." He told her.  
  
"What do you mean it knows you?"  
  
"Whatever that thing is now I think it used to be one of the strays and they're still mad at me for running out on them last month."  
  
"This is not good."  
  
"You're telling me onee-chan."  
  
The creature cornered the pair of lunar felines and pinned Apollo down on the ground. Diana upon seeing her brother in mortal danger let out an ear-piercing scream.  
  
"Hold it right there tall dark and ugly!" a voice called out.  
  
The creature, Diana, and Apollo looked towards the source of the voice. There standing in the schoolyard was a pink and white version of Sailor Moon and five Sailor Senshi.  
  
"How dare you attack my friends. I am Sailor Moon..." Sailor Moon began.  
  
"And we are the Sailor Senshi..." the Senshi added.  
  
"And on behalf of the moon we shall punish you!"  
  
"Uh guys a little help please." Apollo said.  
  
"Okay so who's going first?" Venus asked.  
  
"It doesn't matter who goes first just do something!" Diana yelled.  
  
"Mountain Quake!" Uranus called out performing a move similar to her mother's.  
  
The ball of energy ripped through the ground and hit the large cat like creature getting its attention. The creature forgot about Apollo and turned to face its attacker. Letting loose a blast of dark energy the Senshi scattered to get out of the way.  
  
"Wait a minute the last one I fought didn't have that little ability." Jupiter commented.  
  
Mercury activated her visor and scanned the creature entering the data into her computer.  
  
"This thing's crawling with dark energy but it becomes weakened after each attack. So the best time to hit it would be right after an attack." Mercury reported.  
  
"Sounds good to me. Venus Meteor Shower!" Venus said.  
  
Venus's attack added to the damage caused by Uranus's attack and allowed for the others to get in some shots of their own.  
  
"Tsunami Wave!" Neptune called out dousing the creature with a ball of water.  
  
"Jupiter Thunderstorm Crash!" Jupiter yelled.  
  
The electrical attack hit the creature combining with the water from Neptune's attack. When the shock to the creature ended Mercury saw it was weak enough for Sailor Moon to get in her attack.  
  
"Now Sailor Moon while it's too weak to attack!" Mercury called out.  
  
Sailor Moon pulled out her Kaleidoscope and raised it high into the air.  
  
"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!"  
  
The energy from the attack turned the creature into a large pile of dust. Sailor Moon began leaping up and down for joy and hugging her scope. For the first time one of her attacks had actually worked right. The other Senshi and the two lunar felines just stared at the moon princess.  
  
"It worked! It worked! It worked! It worked! Oh happy day. Happy day." Sailor Moon said a mile a minute very excitedly.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Venus said somewhat confused.  
  
"It's the first time one of my attacks actually worked right. Unlike that pink sugar thing." Sailor Moon explained to the others.  
  
The conversation was cut short when the first bell signaling the end of the lunch period sounded. The students began to file back to their classes. Sailor Moon panicked and ran to detransform and get back to class. The other Senshi tried hard not to laugh at their pink haired leader.  
  
"Guess we'd better get back too before we're late." Jenna commented.  
  
"You are coming with me." Alex said grabbing Apollo by the tail.  
  
"Hey! What's that for?" Apollo complained.  
  
"I'm not about to have you become Sakura's favorite little gossip target. Besides detention here is something you do not want to get especially on your first day." Alex told him.  
  
********  
  
Gaia was not a happy camper. The creature that was supposed to go after the Sailor Star Seed the twins had detected had gone after Apollo instead. She had told the members of Big Orange's gang Apollo was off limits to anyone but her. Gaia couldn't see why the common strays had to continue going after him. It made no sense to the ex lunar feline.  
  
"Tell me something. Do you enjoy disobeying my direct orders?" Gaia asked the twins.  
  
The twins shook their heads and placed their tails between their legs. They didn't want their mistress or Big Orange mad at them.  
  
"If anything happens to him before I can extract the information I need out of him I'll see to it that you two suffer extreme pain." Gaia warned them.  
  
********  
  
It's time for the annual Kimono Festival in Juban. Everyone pitches in to help out including the queen's court. While Mina covers the festival for her TV show and Illya takes pictures the Senshi enjoy a night of fun and frivolity. Will one of Gaia's minions ruin the festival or will the Neo Senshi have something to say about it. Find out in Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training Part Seven: Festival of the Kimono.  



End file.
